1 


GIFT   OF 
MICHAEL  REESE 


LEONARDO     DA    VINCI 


UNIVERSITTi 


MONA    LISA   (la   GIOCONDA). 
In  the  Louvre. 

3 


''VENIO    NUNC   AD    FORTISSIMUM    VTRUM '' 


LEONARDO    DA    VINCI 


AND     HIS     WORKS 

UriVERSITT^ 

4:ON^^ING 

A    LIFE    OF    LEONARDO    DA    VINCI 


BY     MRS.     CHARLES     W.     HEATON 

'I 

AN    ESSAY   ON    HIS    SCIENTIFIC   AND    LITERARY   WORKS    BY 
CHARLES  CHRISTOPHER  BLACK,  M.A.  AND  AN 
ACCOUNT    OF    HIS    MOST   IMPORTANT 
PAINTINGS 


MACMILLAN     AND     CO. 

1874 


?  -^  J    S2_^ 
CIIISWICK   PRESS:- -PRINTED   BY   WHITTINGHAM   AND  WILKINS, 

TOOKS  COURT,    CHANCERY   LANE. 


PREFACE. 


T   must   not   be   supposed  that  the  present 
volume  is  intended  to  rank  as  a  history  of 
the  life,  works,  and  discoveries  of  the  great 
Italian  whose  name  it  bears. 


Such  a  history  will,  it  may  be  hoped,  be  possible  at 
no  distant  time,  for  diligent  inquirers  are  at  work,  and 
their  labours  are  from  time  to  time  rewarded  by  the 
addition  of  new  facts  to  the  valuable  though  frag- 
mentary store  already  gained.  Even  now  there  are 
rumours  of  unpublished  researches  which  will  throw 
important  light  on  Leonardo  and  his  works.  The 
jealously-guarded  volume  in  which  the  French  manu- 
scripts are  preserved  is  as  yet  unexplored,  but  it  must 
surely  be  thrown  open  before  long,  and  it  can  hardly 
be  doubted  that  real  treasures  of  knowledge  will  be 
found  to  lie  buried  in  it. 


vi  PRE  FA  CE. 

When  sufficient  materials  have  been  collected,  a 
biographer  will  no  doubt  be  found.  He  must  bring  to 
his  task  somewhat  unusual  endowments.  His  industry 
and  critical  acumen  must  be  aided  not  only  by  true 
feeling  and  insight  in  art,  but  by  great  knowledge  of 
science  and  of  the  position  which  science  occupied  in 
the  middle  ages.  The  genius  of  Leonardo  was  so  com- 
plex, his  works,  suggestions,  and  speculations  embraced 
so  wide  a  circle,  that  to  understand  them  all  would 
require  no  ordinary  powers  or  training. 

My  share  in  the  following  work  has  been  confined  to 
the  biographical  sketch  with  which  it  opens.  In  its 
compilation  I  have  taken  advantage  of  most  of  the 
later  and  many  of  the  earlier  authorities.  I  have 
endeavoured  to  omit  nothing  of  interest  in  regard  to 
Leonardo's  life,  but  I  have  carefully  abstained  frorn  any 
attempt  at  criticism  of  his  works  or  genius.  The  essay 
on  "  Leonardo  da  Vinci  in  Science  and  Literature " 
that  follows  my  sketch  is  from  the  far  abler  pen  of  Mr. 
Charles  Christopher  Black,  of  the  South  Kensington 
Museum. 

The  classified  and  annotated  catalogues  given  in  the 
Appendix  have  been  chiefly  compiled  from  the  works  of 
Rigollot  and  Arstine  Houssaye.  I  cannot  claim  any 
share  in  their  preparation. 


PRE  FA  CE.  vii 

I  regret  that  it  has  been  found  impossible  to  obtain 
a  photograph  of  Marco  Oggione's  celebrated  copy  of  the 
''  Last  Supper,"  to  which  allusion  is  made  on  page  41. 
This  important  work,  that  I  had  fondly  supposed  to  be 
**  accessible  to  English  students,"  is,  it  appears,  kept 
rolled  up  and  stowed  away  somewhere  at  the  Royal 
Academy,  and  the  authorities  there  have  declined  to 
allow  it  to  be  unrolled  for  the  purpose  of  repro- 
duction. Surely  they  have  chosen  an  odd  way  of 
disposing  of  so  great  a  treasure. 

M.  M.  H. 

Lessness  Heath,  Kent, 
September y  1873. 


CONTENTS. 


I.  Life  of  Leonakdo  da  Vincl 

TALY  at  the  close  of  the  fifteenth  century — Development 
of  Painting — Birth  of  Leonardo — Early  evidences  of  genius 
— Studies  under  Andrea  Verrocchio — Acquaintance  with 
Perugino — Lorenzo  di  Credi — Early  Works — Lorenzo  de' 


Medici 


Page 


1—9 


Letter  to  Lodovico  Sforza — Leonardo  is  invited  to  Milan — Leaves  Florence 
— Character  of  Sforza — Portraits  of  Cecilia  Gallerani  and  Lucrezia 
Crivelli — Leonardo  founds  the  Milan  Academy — His  many  pupils 
— School  of  Padua — Vitruvius — Platino  Piatto — Milan  Cathedral 
— Studies  for  statue  of  Francesco  Sforza — Marriage  of  Sforza — 
Beatrice  d'  Este — The  Emperor  Maximilian — Equestrian  statue  of 
Sforza — Destruction  of  the  model — Irrigation  of  Lombardy — Duke 
Hercule  d'  Este — Invasion  of  Italy  by  Charles  VIII. — Leonardo's 
meeting  with  the  King — Marco  Antonio  della  Torre — Death  of 
Gian  Galeazzo — Usurpation  of  Lodovico        .        .        .         .         lo — 30 


Death  of  Beatrice  d'  Este — Convent  of  Santa  Maria  delle  Grazie — 
"The  Last  Supper"  —  Repeated  restorations  —  Copy  by  Marco 
Oggione  in  the  Royal  Academy — Other  copies — Salai — Francesco 
Melzi — Capture  of  Milan,  1499 — Flight,  capture,  and  death  of 
Sforza 30 — 45 


CONTENTS.  ix 

Page 

Leonardo  returns  to  Florence — Government  under  the  republic — Michael 
Angelo  —  Raphael — Botticelli — Filippino  Lippi  —  Francia  —  The 
"St.  Anne" — "Ginevra  Benci" — "  Mona  Lisa" — Service  under 
Borgia — Leonardo's  first  visit  to  Rome — Return  to  Florence — "  The 
Battle  of  the  Standard  " 46—55 

Second  visit  to  Milan — The  Mardchal  de  Chaumont — Leonardo  is  re- 
called to  Florence — Law-suit  with  his  brothers — Return  to  Milan 
— The  Madonna  of  Melzi — Martesana  Canal — Louis  XII.  enters 
Milan — Frequent  journeys  to  Florence — Marshal  Gian  Jacopo  Tri- 
vulzio — Letters  to  De  Chaumont  and  Melzi — "La  Vierge  aux 
Rochers  "— "  St.  John  the  Baptist " — "  Herodias  "— "  Vanity  and 
Modesty  " — "  La  Monaca  " — "  Leda  " — "  La  Vierge  au  Bas-relief  " — 
"  Christ  Disputing  with  the  Doctors  "     .....         57 — 72 

Bernardino  Luini — Cesare  de  Cesto — Death  of  De  Chaumont — Battle 
of  Ravenna  —  Evacuation  of  Milan  and  return  of  the  Sforzas 
— Second  visit  to  Rome — ^Jealousy  of  Michael  Angelo  and  Raphael 
— "  Holy  Family  of  the  Hermitage  " — Return  to  Milan — Final,  flight 
of  the  Sforzas  and  entry  of  Francis  I.— Letter  to  Zanobi  Boni — 
Caricatures,  &c. 72 — 81 

Leonardo's  departure  to  France — Is  installed  in  the  Chateau  of  Cloux 
— His  indifference  to  work — Cartoon  of  St.  Anne — Religion  of 
Leonardo — His  will  and  death — Epitaphs — Buried  at  Amboise 
— Destruction  of  the  Church  at  Amboise — Search  for  Leonardo's 
tomb — Statue  at  Milan — Exhibition  of  works  at  Milan— "  Trattato 
della  Pittura"— Manuscripts — Sonnets — Melzi's  letters  .         82 — iii 

IL 

Leonardo    da  Vinci    in    Science   and    Literature.      An   Essay  by 

Charles  Christopher  Black,  M.  A.  .        .        .         .         -us 


CONTENTS. 

III.    Appendix,  containing— 

The  Death-bed  of  Leonardo.    By  Ars^ne  Houssaye 
The  Tomb  of  Leonardo.     By  Arsene  Houssaye    . 
The  Manuscripts  of  Leonardo   .... 
Letter  of  Leonardo. — Ifi  the  origi?ial  Italian 
The  Testament  of  Leonardo. — In  Italian   . 
Chronological  Table  of  the  Life  of  Leonardo 
Genealogical  Table  of  the  Family  of  Da  Vinci 


Page 

205 
210 
212 
216 
221 


IV.  A  Classified  Catalogue  of  the  Principal  Paintings  by 
Leonardo  da  Vinci,  compiled  chiefly  from  the  Appendix 
to  "Histoire  de  Leonard  de  Vinci,"  by  Arsbne  Houssaye, 
and  "Catalogue  des  CEuvres  de  Leonard  de  Vinci,"  by  Dr. 
RigoUot 225 

V.  A  List  of  Drawings  by  Leonardo  da  Vinci  in  the  Ambrosian 
Library,  Milan ;  the  Academy,  Venice ;  the  Royal  Gallery, 
Florence ;  the  Louvre ;  the  British  Museum ;  the  Royal 
Library,  Windsor  Castle,  and  other  Collections    .         .  .283 

VI.  A  List  of  Paintings  by  Leonardo  da  Vinci  in  England      .     291 

VII.  A  List  of  Paintings  and  Drawings  by  Leonardo  da  Vinci 

Exhibited  in  England 293 

VIII.  Pictures  by  Leonardo  sold  by  Auction 295 

General  Index 297 

Index  of  Paintings -301 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


III. 

IV. 

V. 

VJ. 

VII. 

VIIL 

IX. 

X. 


I. 

Page 

^UCREZIA  CRIVELLI  (La  Belle  FERRONNikRE).     In  the 
^^1  Louvre     .........       14 

From  the  engraving  by  Bridoux. 

II.    The  Last  Supper.    In  the  Convent  of  S.  Maria  delle 

Grazie,  Milan  .         .         .         .         •         .         -32 

From  the  engraving  by  Raphael  Morghen. 

St.  Anne  and  the  Virgin.     In  the  Royal  Academy^  London      .       48 
Reproduced  from  the  original  Cartoon. 

Mona  Lisa.     I?i  the  Louvre.     {Frontispiece)         .         .         .         .52 
From  the  engraving  by  Fanchey. 

La  Vierge  aux  Rochers.    /;/  the  Louvre  .        .         .         -70 

From  the  engraving  by  Desnoyers. 

Christ  Disputing  with  the  Doctors.     ///  the  National  Gallery     72 
From  the  engraving  by  Fesling. 

La  Vierge  au  Bas-relief.     /;/  the  possession  of  the  Countess  of 
Lady  Warwick       .........       76 

From  the  engraving  by  Forster. 

The  Virgin  seated  in  the  Lap  of  St.  Anne.     In  the  Louvre       84 
From  the  engraving  by  Langier. 

La  Vierge  au  Fleur  de  Lys.     In  the  Albani  Palace^  Rome      .      96 
From  the  engraving  by  Martinet. 

Statue  of  Leonardo.    At  Milan      .        .        .         .        .        .102 

From  a  photograph. 


xii  LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Page 

XI.    Portrait  of  Leonardo.     In  the  Royal  CoUectio7i.,  Windsor       .     114 
Reproduced  from  the  original  drawing. 

XII.    Portrait  OF  Leonardo.     In  the  Royal  Gallery^  Florence   .         .134 
From  an  Etching  by  LangiiiUermie. 

XIII.  Head  of  a  Warrior.     /;/  the  Malcolm  Collection       .         .         .164 

Reproduced  from  the  original  drawing. 

XIV.  Head  of  an  Old  Man,  full-face.     In  the  British  Museum    .194 

Reproduced  from  the  original  drawing. 

XV.    Head  of  an  Old  Man,  in  profile.      /;/  the  Florefice  Gallery     224 
Reproduced  from  the  original  drawing. 

XVI.    Group  of  Three  Caricature  Heads.     In  the  Florence  Gallery     244 
Reproduced  from  the  original  drawing. 

XVII.    Female  Head,  in  profile.     In  the  Royal  Collection,  JVindsor    .     264 
Reproduced  from  the  original  drawing. 

XVni.    Head  of  a  Man,  in  profile.     /;/  the  British  Museum      .         .     284 
Reproduced  from  the  original  drawing. 

XIX.    Female  Head,  three-quarter  face.     /;/  the  Royal  Collection     288 
Reproduced  from  the  original  drawing. 


Printed  by  the  Woodbury  Permanent  Process. 


AUTHORITIES    QUOTED    IN    THIS    WORK. 


1550.     {Latest 


Reduced 


GORGHINI,  R. 


^ASARI.     Vite   de'   piii   eccellenti   Pittori,   ecc. 
Florentifte  edition^  i^^'jo.) 
Paciolo,  Fra  Luca.     De  Divina  Proportione.     1509. 
GuicciARDiNi,  Storia  d' Italia.    Firstpublishedin  1561. 

into  English  by  GefFray  Fenton  in  16 18. 
II  Riposo,  vol.  ii.     1582. 
Leonardo  da  Vinci.     Trattato  della  Pittura.     16 19. 
LoMAZZO.     Trattato  delle  Arti.     1584.     Roman  edition,  1844. 
Pere  Dan.     Tresor  des  Merveilles  de  Fontainebleau.     1642. 
D'Argenville.     Vies  des  plus  fameux  Peintres.     1745- 
Venturi.     Essai  sur  les  ouvrages  Phisico-Mathematiques  de  Le'onard  de  Vinci. 

1797. 
Landon,  C.  p.     Vies  et  OEuvres  des  Peintres.     1803. 
Amoretti,  Carlo.     Memorie  Storiche  su  la  Vita,  gli  Studi,  e  le  Opere  di  Lio- 

nardo  da  Vinci.     1804. 
Bossi,  Giuseppe.     Del  Cenacolo  di  Lionardo  da  Vinci. 
FuMAGALLi,  J.     Scuola  di  Leonardo  da  Vinci.     181 1. 
Guillon,  Aime.     Le  Cenacle  de   Leonardo   da  Vinci. 

Psychologique.     181 1. 
BoMBET,  A.  C.     Histoire  de  la  Peinture  en  Italic.     181 7. 
Pungileoni,  Luigi.     Elogio  Storico  di  Gio.  Santi.     1822. 

BoTTARi,  G.  G.    Raccolta  di  Lettere  sulla  Pittura,  Scultura  ed  Architettura.   1822. 
RuMOHRjC.  F.  von.     Italienische  Forschungen.     1827. 
Brown,  J.  W.     Life  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci.     1828. 
Gerli,  C.  G.     Disegni  di  Leonardo  da  Vinci.     Milan.     1830. 


ibii. 


Essai   Historique   et 


xiv  AUTHORITIES    QUOTED    IN    THIS    WORK. 

Passavant,  J.  D.     Kunstreise  diirch  England  imd  Belgien.     1833. 

Gallemberg,  Hugo  von,  G.  Count.     Leonardo  da  Vinci.     1834. 

Waagen,  G.  F.     Kunstwerke  und  Kiinstler  in  England  und  Paris.     1837. 

Gave,  G.     Carteggio  inedito  d'  Artisti  dei  Secoli  XIV.  XV.  XVI.,    1839. 

Kugler,  Dr.     Handbuch  der  Kunstgeschichte.     1842. 

RosiNi.     Storia  della  Pittiira  Italiana.     1843. 

Marx,  K.  F.  H.     Ueber  Marco  Antonio  della  Torre  und  L.  da  Vinci.     1849. 

RiGOLLOT,  Dr.     Catalogue  des  QEuvres  de  Leonard  da  Vinci.     1 849. 

WiNCKELMANN.     History  of  Ancient  Art.     1850. 

Waagen,  G.  F.     Treasures  of  Art  in  Great  Britain.     1854. 

Rio,  A.  F.     Leonardo  da  Vinci  et  son  Ecole.     1855. 

Blanc,  Charles.     Histoire  des  Peintres  de  tous  les  Ecoles.    1856. 

Blanc,  Charles.     De  Paris  k  Venise.     1857. 

Grimm,  Hermann.     Life  of  Michael  Angelo.     i860. 

Clement,  C.     Michael- Ange,  Leonardo  da  Vinci  et  Raphael.     1861. 

Gautier,  T.     Les  Dieux  et  les  Demi-dieux  de  la  Peinture.     1864. 

Campori.     Nuovi  Document!  per  la  Vita  di  Lionardo  da  Vinci.     1865, 

Crowe  and  Cavalcaselle.     History  of  Painting  in  Italy.     1866. 

ViARDOT,  L.     Musees  d'Espagne,  d'Angleterre  et  de  Belgique.     1866. 

Taine.     Voyage  en  Italie.     1866. 

Gazette  des  Beaux-Arts.     1861,  1866,  1867,  1868. 

Houssaye,  Arsene.     Histoire  de  Leonard  de  Vinci.     1869. 

Calvi,  G.  L.    Notizie  sulla  vita  e  sulle  opere  de'  pittori,  ecc.    Milan,  185 9- 1869. 

SiSMONDi.     History  of  the  Italian  Republics. 

Hallam.     History  of  the  Literature  of  Europe. 

Lyell.     Principles  of  Geology. 

Pater,  W.  H.     Studies  in  the  History  of  the  Renaissance. 

UziELLi,   Gustavo.     Ricerche   intorno  a  Leonardo  da  Vinci.     Firenze,  1872. 

Saggio  delle  Opere  di  Leonardo  da  Vinci.     Milan,  1872. 
Govi,  GiLBERTO.     II  Genio  di  Leonardo.     In  "  Saggio  delle  Opere  di  Leonardo 

da  Vinci."     Milan,  1872. 
Max,  Jordan.     Untersuchungen  iiber  das  Malerbuch  des  Leonardo  da  Vinci. 
Jahrbiicher  fiir  Kunstwissenschaft.    June,  1873. 

Nearly  all  these  books  may  be  constdted  in  the  National  Art 
Library,  South  Kensington  Mnseum. 


THE    LIFE    OF    LEONARDO    DA   VINCI. 


2:^=' 


The  best  thanks  of  the  Ptcblishers  are  dice  to  Her  Majesty  the 
Queen  for  her  gracious  permission  to  copy  the  Original  Drawings 
by  Leonardo  da  Virici  in  the  Royal  Library ;  as  well  as,  to  the 
Tries  tees  of  the  British  Museum,  and  to  the  Council  of  the  Royal 
Academy,  for  the  privilege  of  photographing  the  Drawings  in 
their  respective  possession. 


LIFE   OF   LEONARDO   DA  VINCL 

UICCIARDINI  at  the  beginning  of  his  History 
tells  us  that  since  the  decline  of  the  Roman 
Empire  "  Italy  had  not  tasted  of  so  great  and 
general  prosperity,  nor  rejoiced  in  a  condition  so 
happy,  plausible,  and  well  governed,  as  was  that  whereon  it  was 
with  great  surety  reposed  in  the  year  of  grace  1490,  and  some 
years  before  and  after." ^  Florence  especially,  a  city  "more 
mighty  for  the  opportunity  of  situation,  for  the  excellent  wits 
and  inventions  of  men,  and  for  the  ready  means  of  money,  than 
for  the  extent  of  its  dominion/'  was  at  this  time  at  the  height  of 
its  prosperity,  under  the  intelligent  rule  of  Lorenzo  de'  Medici, 
a  rule  that  combined  the  semblance  of  liberty  with  the  many 
advantages  of  a  beneficent  despotism. 

Most  of  the  greatest  painters  of  Italy  were  born  during 
or  shortly  before  this  brief  golden  age,^  the  middle  point 
of  which  Gulcciardini  places  in  1490,  and  which  may  be  said 


^  '*  Storia  d' Italia,"  first   published   in    1561.      "Reduced  into   English   by 
Geifray  Fenton  "  in  16 18. 

^  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  1452.  Titian,  1477.  Raphael,  1483. 

Michael  Angelo,  1475.  Giorgione,  1478.  Correggio,  1494. 


B 


-^ 


2  LIFE    OF   LEONARDO    DA     VINCL 

to  have  ended  with  the  first  French  Invasion  of  Italy  under 
Charles  VIII.  in  1498.  It  was  not,  however,  in  this  time  of 
peace,  but  in  the  stormy  period  that  succeeded,  that  their 
immortal  works  were  accomplished.  For  Italian  art,  that  had 
gradually  been  growing  in  beauty  and  strength  during  the 
preceding  century,  attained  its  most  perfect  development  In 
the  first  half  of  the  sixteenth,  when  wars  and  rumours  of 
wars  prevailed  everywhere,  when  papal  excommunications, 
and  Lutheran  thunders,  pagan  learning  and  Christian  faith, 
rationalism  and  superstition,  light  and  darkness,  were  most 
strongly  opposed. 

Leonardo  da  Vinci  was  the  earliest,  and,  in  many  respects, 
the  greatest  of  the  artists  of  this  marvellous  blooming  time,  and 
the  versatile  gfenius  of  his  age — an  age  that  produced  Luther, 
Loyola,  Erasmus,  Shakespeare,  Ariosto,  Cervantes,  Michael 
Angelo,  Raphael  and  Titian — is  epitomized,  one  may  almost  say, 
In  his  single  life. 

Yet  In  spite  of  his  being,  by  reason  of  the  extraordinary  many- 
sidedness  of  his  character  and  genius,  a  representative  man  of  his 
age  and  his  country,  he  remains  the  most  unintelligible  to  us  of 
all  the  artists  of  his  time. 

Michael  Angelo  in  his  Titanic  gloom,  Raphael  in  his  short 
summer  life,  Titian  in  his  princely  magnificence,  are  all  better 
known  to  us  than  the  Protean  figure  of  Leonardo,  that  changes 
into  all  kinds  of  shapes  as  we  seek  to  hold  it  in  our  grasp. 

The  patient  research  and  critical  investigation  to  which  his 
life  has  recently  been  subjected  have  elicited  very  little  beyond 
a  few  facts  concerning  his  outward  existence.  Of  the  man 
himself  and  his  surpassing  genius  we  gain  perhaps  a  better 
view  through  Vasari's  spectacles  than  through  those  of  any 
subsequent  writer.  Vasari  indeed  grows  eloquent  when  he 
speaks  of  the  "  divinely  endowed  "  Leonardo,  **  the  radiance  of 
whose  countenance  was  so  splendidly  beautiful  that  It  brought 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL  3 

cheerfulness  to  the  heart  of  the  most  melancholy,  and  the  power 
of  whose  word  could  move  the  most  obstinate  to  say  *  No'  or 
'  Yes.' " 

This  wonderful  Leonardo,  on  whom  "  the  richest  gifts  were 
showered  as  by  celestial  Influence,"  was  born  a  poor  little 
Illegitimate  baby  In  the  year  1452,^  at  Castello  da  VIncI, 
a  village  In  the  Val  d!Arno.  near  Florence.  His  father. 
Ser  Plero  Antonio  da  Vinci,  was  a  notary  of  the  republic 
and  a  man  in  good  position  In  society.  He  was  four  times 
married,^  but  the  mother  of  Leonardo  was  not  one  of  the  four 
wives.  Of  her  no  record  remains  beyond  a  statement  in  the 
family  register  that  her  name  was  Caterlna,  and  that  at  some 
date  after  Leonardo's  birth  she  married  a  certain  Accattabriga 
dl  Piero  del  Vacca  dl  Vlnci.^ 

But  although  illegitimate,  Leonardo  appears  to  have  been 
brought  up  In  his  father's  family,  and  to  have  been  treated  in 
every  respect  as  a  son  of  the  house.  No  difference  apparently 
was  made  between  him  and  the  more  lawful  children,  of  whom 
there  were  plenty  by  the  four  wives.  Many  circumstances 
indeed  tend  to  prove  that  his  family  was  proud  rather  than 
ashamed  of  his  relationship.  And  well  it  might  be,  for  even 
in  earliest  childhood  he  evinced  the  most  extraordinary  powers 
of  mind.  We  know  not  what  his  eleven  brothers  and  sisters 
were  like,  but  we  can  well  imagine  how  stupid  and  commonplace 

^  The  date  of  his  birth  was  first  made  known  by  Dei,  "  Elogi  di  Domini  illustri," 
who  discovered  it  in  1 746,  by  searching  local  registries.  Before  this  it  had  been 
placed  by  Vasari  in  1445,  by  De  Pagave,  in  1444,  and  by  D'Argenville,  in  1445. 

2  I.  to  Albiera  di  Giovanni  Amadori,  in  1452. 

2.  to  Francesca  di  Ser  Giuliano  Lanfredini,  in  1465. 

3.  to  Margherita  di  Francesco  di  Jacobo  di  Guglielmo. 

4.  to  Lucrezia  di  Guglielmo  Cortigiani. 

(Gustavo  Uzielli,  "Ricerche  intorno  a  Leonardo  da  Vinci."     Firenze,  1872.) 
^  Uzielli,   "Ricerche;"   Albero   Genealogico   della  famiglia  da  Vinci.     See 
■  Appendix. 


4  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL 

they  must  have  seemed  in  comparison  with  Leonardo,  the  young 
lion  of  the  family. 

He  learnt  everything  that  was  taught  him  with  a  rapidity  that 
soon  outstripped  all  teaching  but  his  own.  From  boyhood  he 
was  a  musician,  a  poet,  a  painter,  a  mathematician.  Insatiable 
in  his  thirst  for  knowledge,  he  drank  from  every  source  within 
his  reach,  and  when  these  were  exhausted,  sought  to  discover 
fresh  ones  for  himself,  his  desire  ever  seeking  new  gratification. 

"In  arithmetic,"  says  Vasari,  "  he  often  confounded  the  master 
who  taught  him,  by  his  reasonings  and  by  the  difficulty  of  the 
problems  he  proposed." 

When  he  played  on  the  lute  he  improvised  at  once  both  words 
and  music,  and  finally,  was  not  content  without  inventing  an 
instrument — a  kind  of  lyre — for  himself 

From  the  first  also  he  seems  to  have  been  attracted  towards 
natural  science ;  but  art,  it  was  early  apparent,  was  his  most 
decided  vocation.  His  father  seeing  this,  showed  some  of  the 
boy's  drawings  to  his  friend  Andrea  Verrocchio,  who  was 
"amazed"  when  he  beheld  them,  and  advised  Ser  Piero  by 
all  means  to  bring  up  his  son  as  an  artist.  There  was  no 
better  way  of  doing  this  than  by  sending  him  to  study  under 
Verrocchio  himself,  who  was  an  artist  held  in  high  esteem  In 
Florence.  To  Florence  accordingly  the  young  Leonardo  was 
sent,^  and  in  Verrocchio's  bottega  soon  became  proficient,  not 
only  In  the  painter's  art,  but  In  every  branch  of  art  of  which 
design  formed  a  part. 

In  many  respects  Leonardo  could  not  have  had  a  better 
master  than  the  kind-hearted  Verrocchio.  The  pupils  of  Ver- 
rocchio were  his  children,  and  he  taught  them  with  an  ardour 


*  Probably  about  the  year  1470.  In  1472  we  find  his  name  inscribed  in  the 
book  of  the  Guild  of  Painters  at  Florence.  (Doc.  B.,  Uzielli,  "  Conte  corrente 
di  Leonardo  da  Vinci  con  la  Compagnia  de'  Pittori.") 


LIFE   OF  LEONARDO   DA    VINCL  5 

that  few  masters  bestow,  developing  in  mere  workmen — ^as 
witness  Vasari's  story  about  Orsino* — ^an  artistic  taste,  and 
encouraging  the  god-created  artists  to  industry  and  perse- 
verance. 

It  is  un£dr,  Rio  asserts,*  to  judge  of  Verrocchio's  powers  by 
the  picture  now  hanging  in  the  Academy  of  Fine  Arts  at 
Florence,  which  is  only  interesting  on  account  of  the  doubtful 
l^nend  that  assigns  the  more  beautiful  of  the  two  angels  to 
Leonardo ;  still  without  doubt  Verrocchio  belonged  to  the  early 
and  crude  school  of  Florentine  art,  and  his  paintings  have  not 
even  the  grace  and  beauty  di  those  of  many  of  his  contem- 
poraries, much  less  of  his  pupils. 

He  no  doubt  saw  this  himself,  for  whether  it  was  in  despair, 
as  Vasari  affirms,  at  seeing  himself  outstripped  by  "  a  mere  child" 
like  Leonardo,  or  from  some  other  cause,  he  certainly  devoted 
himself  more  to  plastic  work  than  to  painting  in  his  later  life. 
Unfortunately  most  of  his  exquisite  little  votive  altar-pieces 
chiselled  in  precious  metal,  his  crucifixes,  statues  and  golden 
cups,  have  had  the  usual  fete  of  such  works — ^been  destroyed 
for  the  sake  of  their  materials ;  but  the  one  or  two  that  remain 
show  that  in  the  department  of  religious  jewellery,  orfiTrrerie 
rdigieuse^  he  had  an  admirable  taste  and  skill,  and  well  merited 
the  renown  that  he  attained  in  his  own  day.' 

In  our  day  we  must  rest  content  with  knowing  him  chiefly  as  the 
master  of  Leonardo — no  small  feme  in  itself — ^and  of  several  other 
only  less  distinguished  pupils.  In  his  workshop  it  was  that 
Leonardo  first  became  acquainted  with  the  Umbrian  master, 
Pietro  Perugino,  the  predecessor  and  teacher  of  Raphael,  with  | 
whom  Giovanni  Santi,  in  his  rhyming  chronicle,  thus  couples 
him  : — 


'  Vasari.  "Tita  di  Andrea  Venocdiio,"  vc^  y.  page  150,  latest  Floraitine  ed. 
*  **  De  r Alt  dm^ben,"  tome  iuL  »  IM. 


6  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCL 

"  Due  giovin,  par  d'  etate  e  par  d'  amore, 

Leonardo  da  Vinci  e  '1  Pemsino 
Pier  della  Pieve,  ch'  e  un  divin  pittore."  ^ 

These  two  youths,  *'  equal  in  age  and  in  love,"  we  may  well 
believe  worked  together  with  much  satisfaction,  penetrating  the 
mysteries  of  perspective,  and  seeking  for  improvements  in 
colours  and  mediums  by  means  of  the  chemical  researches 
that  we  know  were  zealously  carried  on  in  Verrocchio's  work- 
shop. Each  was  interested  in  the  same  studies,  and  in  their 
after  works  the  influence  of  each  upon  the  other  is  more 
apparent  than  the  influence  of  any  other  master. 

Lorenzo  di  Credi,  likewise,  the  favourite  pupil  of  Verrocchio, 
must  have  been  a  fellow  worker  with  Leonardo  in  Verrocchio's 
workshop ;  but  although  he  diligently  studied  the  art  of  his  com- 
panion, he  does  not  appear  to  have  profited  much  by  the  study, 
for  his  works  are  entirely  in  the  fourteenth  century  manner.  He, 
in  fact,  learnt  diligently  to  the  end  from  Verrocchio,  whereas  his 
two  greater  pupils  quickly  forsook  his  teaching  for  that  of  nature. 

Leonardo,  especially,  very  soon  outstripped  all  the  teaching 
that  Florence  could  bestow.  He  could  never  walk  in  the  beaten 
paths  of  art,  but  was  ever  seeking  some  byeway  of  his  own, 
some  new  path  in  the  great  wilderness.  Simple  imitation  was 
impossible  to  him,  he  assimilated  all  he  learnt  from  his  prede- 
cessors and  contemporaries,  and  brought  it  forth  with  a  fresh 
stamp  given  by  his  own  genius.  Whilst  in  Verrocchio's  shop  he 
worked  much  at  modelling,  executing  various  heads  in  terra- 
cotta of  women  and  smiling  children.  He  also  formed  models 
in  clay,  on  which  he  arranged  soft  drapery  dipped  in  plaster, 
which  he  drew  most  carefully  in  black  and  white  on  fine  linen 
prepared  for  the  purpose.'' 

*  Pungileoni,  "  Elogio  Storico  di  Gio.  Santi." 

2  Certain  specimens  of  these  drawings  Vasari  tells  us  he  possessed  himself, 
and  that  they  were  executed  in  a  most  admirable  manner. 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL  ^%^ >  5b 


e^.  -^As 


One  understands  how  this  early  practice  must  have  helped  in 
forming  the  soft,  delicate  modelling  that  is  one  of  the  great 
charms  of  Leonardo's  style. 

Of   his   youthful  paintings  .almost  all  traces  are  lost      Not 

even  the  famous  shield,  Rotella  del  Fico,  of  which  Vasari  tells 

such  a  wonderful  story,  ^  has  survived,  nor  the  Neptune  that  he 

praises  so  highly,  as  *'  seeming  indeed  alive,"  and  upon  which  the 

following  lines  were  written  : — 

"  Pinxit  Virgilius  Neptunum,  pinxit  Homerus, 
Dum  maris  undisoni  per  vada  flectit  equos. 
Mente  quidem  vates  ilium  conspexit  uterque, 
Vincens  ast  oculis ;  jureque  vincit  eos. 

— nor  the  cartoon  of  Adam  and  Eve,  with  its  numerous  animals 
and  infinite  variety  of  vegetation.  ~~ 

The^Medusa,  however,  an  imagined  horror,  somewhat  similar, 
we  may  suppose,  to  the  monster  of  the  Rotella,  is  still  preserved^ 

^  According  to  Vasari,  a  countryman  brought  one  day  to  old  Ser  Piero  a 
round  of  wood  that  he  had  cut  from  a  fig-tree,  asking  him  to  get  it  painted  as  a 
shield  for  him.  Ser  Piero  gave  it  to  his  son,  who  forthwith  "  began  to  consider 
what  he  could  paint  that  would  most  effectually  terrify  all  beholders.  For  this 
purpose  he  collected  in  a  room  that  no  one  entered  but  himself  a  number  of 
lizards,  hedgehogs,  newts,  serpents,  dragon-flies,  locusts,  bats,  glowworms,  and 
every  other  creature  of  the  like  kind  that  he  could  find,  and  out  of  these  he 
formed  a  hideous  and  appalling  monster  breathing  poison  and  flames,  and  sur- 
rounded by  an  atmosphere  of  fire."  When  the  monster  w^as  finished,  which  we 
may  hope  was  in  less  time  than  Leonardo  usually  took  over  his  works,  on  account 
of  the  "mortal  fetor"  that  was  exhaled  by  his  nasty  models,  he  summoned  his 
father  to  see  the  work.  Ser  Piero  accordingly  went  to  his  son's  studio,  but 
rushed  out  again  in  affright  when  he  saw  the  monster,  that  had  been  purposely 
placed  by  Leonardo  in  a  dim  light,  believing  it  to  be  alive.  The  artist  was  well 
satisfied  with  the  effect  he  had  produced,  and  gave  the  shield  to  his  father  to  give 
to  the  countryman.  But  the  cunning  old  gentleman  knew  the  value  of  his  son's 
work  too  well  for  this.  He  bought  an  ordinary  shield  for  the  countryman,  and 
secretly  sold  his  son's  performance  to  "  certain  merchants  for  loo  ducats."  These 
merchants  afterwards  sold  it  to  the  Duke  of  Milan  for  300.  Since  then  no  one 
knows  what  has  become  of  it. 

*  At  least  it  is  generally  thought  that  the  Medusa's  head  in  that  gallery  is  the 
one  of  which  Vasari  speaks. 


8     •  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCL 

in  the   Uffizj,  where  also  we  find  an  Adoration  of  the  Magi, 
that  is  reckoned  as  one  of  his  early  works/ 

Another  painting  of  the  early  Florentine  period  is  the  one 
known  as  the  Madonna  della  Caraffa.  It  was  highly  prized  by 
Pope  Clement  VII.,  and  celebrated  for  the  exquisite  beauty  of  the 
flowers,  with  dew  upon  them,  that  stood  in  a  vase  by  the  Virgin. 
This  picture  was  still  to  be  seen  in  1846  in  the  Borghese  Gallery, 
but  since  that  time  it  has  mysteriously  disappeared.  D'Argen- 
ville,  before  this,  mentions  it  as  being  in  the  Vatican. 

But  in  spite  of  the  rare  genius  that  Leonardo  must  un- 
doubtedly have  shown  in  these  and  other  early  works  of  which 
we  have  no  account,  he  does  not  seem  to  have  made  any  great 
position  for  himself  in  his  native  city  up  to  the  time  that  he 
was  twenty-eight  years  of  age.  His  father,  who  was  notary 
to  the  Medici  and  other  wealthy  families,  as  well  as  to  several 
religious  establishments,  must  have  been  a  man  of  some  im- 
portance. He  had  left  Vinci  by  this  time,  and  had  taken  a 
house  in  Florence,  but  his  son  does  not  appear  to  have  lived 
under  the  paternal  roof,  where  already  a  third  wife  was  installed. 
Probably,  when  he  left  Verrocchio,  which,  according  to  a  docu- 
ment in  the  Florentine  archives,^  was  not  before  1477,  he  set  up 
a  bottega  for  himself  in  Florence,  ^  where  he  continued  to  make 
experiments  for  which  the  necessary  money  was  perhaps  found 
by  his  father.  It  is  clear,  however,  that  he  could  not  have  been 
always  at  work,  for  he  found  time  to  perfect  himself  in  all  manly 
accomplishments,  and  it  was  doubtless  by  mixing  in  the  most 
refined   society   of   Florence  that  he  acquired   that   wonderful 


*  A  drawing  of  this  subject,  evidently  a  sketch  for  the  painting,  is  in  the 
possession  of  M.  Emile  GaUchon.    See  "  Gazette  des  Beaux-Arts^'  1867. 

2  Uzielli,  "  Ricerche  intomo  a  Leonardo  da  Vinci." 

^  It  is  said  that  some  important  documents  have  recently  been  discovered 
concerning  this  period  of  Leonardo's  life.  Unfortunately  they  are  not  yet  pub- 
lished. 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL  9 

charm  of  manner  that  we  are  told  exercised  its  fascination  over 
all  who  came  In  contact  with  him. 

It  is  strange  that  Lorenzo  de'  Medici,  quickslghted  as  he  was 
for  genius,  did  not  seek  to  attach  such  a  man  as  this  to  himself. 
He  surely  must  have  been  aware  of  Leonardo's  powers,  but  for 
some  reason  or  other  he  was  unheedful  of  them,  and  suffered  the 
brightest  of  the  stars  revolving  around  him  to  wander  Into 
another  system. 

It  Is  not  difficult  to  surmise  the  reasons  that  may  have  led  to 
Leonardo  desiring  to  quit  Florence.  The  strange  neglect  of  the 
Medici  (he  does  not  seem  to  have  had  a  single  commission  from 
any  member  of  the  family)  would  tend  to  show  that  he  was  not 
properly  appreciated  in  his  native  city.  Added  to  this,  there 
may  have  been  family  difficulties,  money  matters,  and  what  not, 
to  induce  a  desire  for  change. 

At  all  events,  about  1481,  when  he  was  twenty-nine  years  of 
age,  we  find  him  writing  the  following  remarkable  letter  to 
Lodovico  Sforza,  the  Regent,  and  afterwards  the  Duke  of  Milan. ^ 


/  *^aving,  most  illustrious  lord,  seen  and  duly  considered  the  experiments  of  \ 
'  all  those  who  repute  themselves  masters  in  the  art  01  inventing  instruments  of  » 
war,  and  having  found  that  their  instruments  are  useless,  or  else  such  as  are  in 
common  use,  I  will,  endeavour,  without  wishing  to  injure  anyone  else,  to  make 
kno\^Ti  to  your  Excellency  certain  secrets  of  my  own ;  and  at  an  opportune  time, 
should  you  see  fit  to  put  them  into  execution,  I  hope  to  be  able  to  effect  all  the 
things  enumerated  briefly  below — 

"  I.  I  know  how  to  construct  very  light  bridges,  easy  to  transport  from  one 
place  to  another,  by  aid  of  which  the  enemy  may  be  pursued  and  put  to 
flight.  Also  others  of  a  stronger  kind,  that  resist  fire  and  attack.  They  are 
easy  to  fix  and  to  remove.  I  have  means  also  for  burning  and  destroying  those 
of  the  enemy. 

^  This  letter,  the  most  precious  personal  record  that  we  have  of  Leonardo,  is 
still  preserved  in  the  Ambrosian  Library  at  Milan,  Codex  Atlantico,  fol.  382.  It 
was  first  published  by  Bottari,  "Lettere  Pittoriche,"  and  also  in  Gaye's  ''Carteggio,^' 
and  is  given  in  Amoretti,  "  Memorie  Storiche,"  with  the  original  spelling.  It  is 
written  in  Leonardo's  usual  manner,  from  left  to  right,  with  an  orthography  as 
well  as  a  calligraphy  peculiarly  his  o\vn.     See  Appendix. 


lo  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCL 

"  2.  In  case  of  siege  I  can  remove  the  water  from  the  ditches,  and  make 
an  infinite  variety  of  scaling-ladders  and  other  instruments  suitable  for  such 
purposes. 

"  3.  Item.  If  by  reason  of  the  heights  of  the  defences  or  strength  of  the 
position  the  place  cannot  be  bombarded,  I  have  other  means  whereby  any 
fortress  may  be  destroyed,  provided  it  is  not  founded  on  stone. 

"  4.  I  have  also  means  of  making  a  kind  of  cannon  that  is  easy  and  conve- 
nient to  carry,  and  that  will  throw  out  inflammable  matters,  causing  great  affright 
and  damage  to  the  enemy,  and  putting  him  to  much  confusion. 

"  5.  Item.  By  means  of  excavations  and  tortuous  paths  made  without  any 
noise,  I  can  reach  any  given  .  .  (point  ?),  even  if  necessary  to  pass  under 
ditches  and  rivers. 

"6.  Item.  I  can  make  covered  waggons  secure  and  indestructible,  which 
entering  with  artillery  among  the  enemy,  will  break  the  strongest  bodies  of  men. 
Behind  these  the  infantry  can  follow  safely  and  without  any  impediment. 

"  7.  I  can,  if  needful,  make  cannon,  mortars,  and  field-pieces  of  beautiful  and 
useful  shape,  and  different  from  those  in  common  use. 

"  8.  Where  the  use  of  cannon  is  impracticable,  I  replace  them  by  mangonels, 
balistae,  and  other  engines  of  great  efficacy,  and  not  in  common  use.  In  short, 
according  as  the  case  may  be,  I  can  make  varied  and  infinite  engines  of  offence. 

"  9.  And  in  case  of  the  conflict  being  at  sea,  I  have  methods  of  making  many 
engines  of  offence  and  defence,  and  vessels  that  will  be  able  to  resist  the  most 
powerful  bombardment.     And  powders  or  vapours.     {Et polveri  0  fii??ii.) 

"  10.  In  time  of  peace,  I  believe  I  can  equal  all  others  in  architecture, 
in  designing  both  public  and  private  edifices,  and  in  conducting  water  from 
one  place  to  another. 

"  Item.  I  can  undertake  in  sculpture  works  in  marble,  bronze,  or  terra-cotta ; 
likewise  in  painting  I  can  do  what  can  be  done  equal  to  any  other,  whoever  he 
may  be. 

"  Furthermore,  I  will  undertake  the  execution  of  the  bronze  horse,  that  will  be 
to  the  immortal  glory  and  eternal  honour  of  my  lord  your  father,  of  happy 
memory,  and  of  the  illustrious  house  of  Sforza. 

"  And  if  any  of  the  above-mentioned  things  seem  to  any  impossible  and  im- 
practicable, I  offer  to  make  trial  of  them  in  your  park,  or  in  any  other  place  that 
may  please  your  Excellency,  to  whom  I  commend  myself  with  all  possible 
humility." 


The  man  must  have  been  either  an  egotistic  fool  or  a  great 
genius  who  could  write  a  letter  like  this.  It  all  depends  upon 
his  ability  to  perform  his  promises.  Let  us  see  how  Leonardo  s 
performance  justified  his  profession. 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA    VINCL  ii 

"  Chi  non  puo  quel  che  vuol,  quel  che  puo  voglia,"  he  says  in 
the  only  sonnet  remaining  of  his  poetical  writings — "  He  who 
cannot  do  what  he  will,  must  will  that  which  he  can  do ; "  but  he 
himself  never  seems  to  have  been  fettered  by  this  unending 
difficulty  of  willing  and  doing.  He  is  ever  willing,  as  we  read 
in  his  letter,  to  make  trial  of  things  deemed  impossible  and  im- 
practicable, and  indeed  is  chiefly  occupied  with  such  things.  !  He"^  I 
is  truly  what  Plato  calls  all  men,  "  A  hunter  of  truth.''  but  it  is  V 
the  hunt  and  not  the  captured  prey  that  deligiits  him)  Soon  ( 
weary  of  attainment,  he  lets  the  prize  in  his  hand  escape,  while 
he  sets  off  on  some  new  pursuit.  This  is  probably  what  Vasari 
means  when  he  says,  '*  He  would  have  made  great  progress  had 
he  not  been  so  versatile  and  changeful;^'!?!'  Y^t  he  must  have 
accomplished  much  during  the  years  in  which  he  was  growing  up 
from  boyhood^aaiapprenticeship  to  manhood  and  mastership  in 
Florence^y  It  was  he,  we  are  told,  who  while  still  a  youth  sug- 
gested  the  formation  of  a  canal  from  Pisa  to  Florence,  by  means 
of  certain  changes  in  the  courseoflhe  ArnoT^^Tworkthat  was  not 
carried  out  until  200  years  later.^     He  likewise  occupied  himselfL 


with  mechanics,  and  made  designs  for  mills  and  other  machines 
working  by  water.  By  levers,  cranes  and  screws,  he  showed 
how  weights  might  best  be  raised  or  drawn,  how  ports  and 
havens  might  be  cleansed  and  kept  in  order,  and  how  water 
might  be  obtained  from  the  lowest  depths.  It  is  clear  also  from 
his  letter  that  he  must  have  bestowed  great  attention  on  the 
science  of  military  engineering,  and  have  invented  many  engines 
of  offence  and  defence.  All  this,  besides  his  works  in  sculpture 
and  painting  !     Not  idle  then  certainly  during  those  early  years 


*  "  Avrebbe  fatto  profitto  grande,  se  egli  non  fosse  stato  tanto  vario  ed  insta- 
bile." —  Vita  di  Leonardo  da  Vinci. 

*  Vasari. 

^  By  Vincenzio  Viviani,  a  disciple  of  Galileo.     (Bottari.) 


12  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL 

in  Florence,  though  so  little  remains  to  tell  us  of  his  achieve- 
ments. 

Hitherto,  we  have  regarded  him  chiefly  as  the  artist  and  the 
natural  philosopher,  but  there  Is  another  side,  many  more  sides 
indeed,  to  his  complex  individuality.  Whilst  working  at  me- 
chanics, mathematics,  and  physics,  he  yet  found  time  to  acquire 
all  the  lighter  graces  of  society.  He  It  was  who  led  the  dance, 
who  Improvised  the  song,  and  who  paid  the  sweetest  homage  to 
the  fair  beauties  of  his  time.  Young  and  beautiful,  strong  and 
wise,  an  Adonis,  not  insensible  to  the  woolngs  of  Venus,  and  yet 
never  allowing  her  allurements  to  detain  him  from  the  hunt  after 
truth  that  was  the  one  passion  of  his  life ;  a  horseman  In  whom 
seemed  realized  the  old  fable  of  the  centaur,  such  complete 
mastery  had  he  over  the  animal  he  bestrode  ;  skilled  in  jousting, 
fencing,  swimming  and  all  other  manly  exercises ;  bending  an 
iron  knocker  or  horseshoe  by  the  strength  of  his  hand  or  passing 
his  fingers  with  rapid  lightness  over  his  horse-shaped  lyre. 

Here  was  a  man  whose  services  any  prince  would  do  well  to 
secure  !  Lodovico  Sforza  was  astute  enough  to  see  this,  and  at 
once  Invited  the  Florentine  artist^  to  his  court.  Thither  he 
betook  himself  about  the  close  of  the  year  1481,^  to  seek 
fortune  and  fame  in  a  new  country  and  under  a  new  master. 

Lodovico  Sforza,  surnamed  II  Moro,  not  from  any  dark  blood 
in  his  veins,  but  simply  from  his  having  had  a  mulberry-tree 
(moro)  for  his  device,  was  of  the  usual  type  of  Italian  princes,^ 


*  Vasari  implies  that  he  was  invited  to  Milan  by  the  Duke,  "  who  delighted  in 
the  music  of  the  lute,"  because  of  his  accomplishments  as  an  improvisatore ;  but 
Vasari  is  mistaken  in  dates  and  many  other  particulars  concerning  Leonardo's 
sojourn  at  Milan,  and  this  reason,  in  face  of  Leonardo's  own  letter,  is  absurd. 

2  Uzielli.     The  date  had  before  been  placed  in  1483. 

^  "  The  ordinary  vices  of  mankind,"  says  Hallam,  "  assumed  a  tint  of  por- 
tentous guilt  in  the  palaces  of  Italian  princes.  Their  revenge  was  fratricide  and 
their  lust  incest." 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL  13 

certainly  not  distinguished  by  any  faint  glimmering  of  virtue. 
He  was  the  son  of  the  warlike  Francesco  Sforza,  a  Milanese 
captain,  who  during  the  brief  republic  that  succeeded  the  rule  of 
the  Visconti,  had  turned  his  arms  against  the  government  that 
had  appointed  him  the  leader  of  its  armies,  and  had  made  him- 
self acknowledged  as  Duke  of  Milan. 

At  the  assassination  of  his  elder  brother,  the  infamous  Duke 
Galeazzo  Maria  Sforza,  whose  blood  we  are  told,  although  spilt 
in  church,  "was  agreeable  to  God,"  Lodovico  seized  on  the 
government,  in  the  name,  it  is  true,  of  his  young  nephew  Gian 
Galeazzo,  but  in  reality  for  himself.  His  rule  had  been  esta- 
blished for  some  years  when  Leonardo  entered  his  capital ;  and  his 
court,  in  which  the  real  duke,  Gian  Galeazzo,  played  a  very 
subordinate  part,  was  as  brilliant  as  any  in  Italy,  except  perhaps 
that  of  the  Medici.  It  was,  indeed,  his  especial  aim  to  attract 
thither  men  of  learning,  poets,  and  artists,  and  to  endeavour,  by 
showing  a  refined  and  cultivated  taste,  to  gloss  over  the  bar- 
barity and  sensuality  of  manners  that  lay  beneath  the  gilding. 
Imagine  what  an  acquisition  such  a  man  as  Leonardo  must 
have  been  to  this  aspiring  prince.  He  seems  at  once  to  have 
recognized  his  value,  and  is  said  to  have  been  so  charmed  with 
the  eloquence  of  his  talk,  that  he  remarked  that  "his  speech 
was  as  singing." 

One  of  the  first  commissions,  it  would  seem,  that  Leonardo 
received  from  his  new  patron  was  for  the  portrait  of  his  mistress, 
the  beautiful  Cecilia  Gallerani,  who  was  at  the  time  of  Leonardo's 
arrival  the  reigning  favourite. 

Leonardo  likewise  painted  for  her  a  picture  of  the  Virgin,  for 
which,  perhaps,  she  served  as  a  model.  In  this  picture  the 
Infant  Jesus  is  represented  as  blessing  a  freshly-blown  rose  of 
the  sort  known  as  Madonna  roses,  this  being  intended  as  an 
emblem  of  St.  Cecilia.  In  order  indeed  that  there  should  be  no 
mistake  about  it,  these  lines  were  written  underneath  : — 


14  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL 

"  Per  Cecilia,  qual  te  orna,  lauda  e  adora, 

El  tuo  unico  figliuolo,  o  beata  Vergine,  exora." 

This  picture  at  the  beginning  of  the  century  must  have  been 
still  in  existence,  for  AmorettI  speaks  of  having  seen  It  at  a 
wine  merchant's  in  Milan,^  and  describes  the  rare  beauty  of  the 
Virgin  and  the  soft  finish  and  transparency  of  the  flesh  of  the 
neck  and  breast.  Unfortunately,  all  trace  of  it  is  now  lost,  and 
not  even  a  copy  Is  known  to  exlst.^ 

The  mixture  of  sacred  and  profane,  of  passion  and  piety,  In 
this  picture,  has  greatly  scandalized  Leonardo's  orthodox  his- 
torian, Rio,  who  calls  it  *'  Un  empietement  indecent  et  presque 
sacrilege  sur  le  domalne  de  I'art  religleux ;"  but  it  was  entirely  In 
accordance  with  the  sentiments  of  Lodovico,  whose  character,  as 
we  not  unfrequently  find  it  the  case,  was  a  curious  compound  of 
superstitious  devotion  and  unbridled  passion.  Fits  of  reckless 
profligacy  alternated  In  him  with  fits  of  ascetic  gloom.  At  one 
moment  on  his  knees  before  the  Madonna,  and  at  the  next 
before  one  of  his  mistresses  ;  preparing  slow  poison  for  his  young 
nephew,  or  worse,  corrupting  his  mind  and  undermining  his 
health  by  purposely  encouraging  him  In  leading  a  vicious  life ; 
making  his  Innocent  young  wife  miserable  by  his  infidelity,  and 
then  when  he  had  killed  her  with  neglect,  spending  days  and 
nights  prostrate  before  her  tomb  In  a  chapel  hung  with  black. 
For  such  a  man  it  would  not  seem  any  profanity,  but  rather  a 
graceful  tribute  to  the  Queen  of  Heaven,  to  have  his  beautiful 
mistress  painted  "  en  Madone ;"  and  probably  this  was  the  view 
that  Leonardo  and  many  painters  of  his  time  took,  for  he 
certainly   cannot   be   accused   above   others   of    depicting  frail 

*  "  E  vidilo  nelli  scorsi  giomi  presso  Giuseppe  Radici,  mercante  di  vino  nella 
contrada  San  Vito." — Amoretti,  Memorie  Storiche  su  la  Vita,  gli  Studj\  e  le  opere 
di  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  Milan,  1804,  page  31. 

^  A  copy  of  the  portrait  of  Cecilia  Gallerani  is  said  to  be  in  the  Ambrosian 
Collection,  and  another,  painted  somewhat  later,  Amoretti  mentions  as  being  in 
the  possession  of  the  Pallavicini  family. 


LUCREZIA   CRIVELH    (LA   BEIXE   FERRONNIERE). 
Tn  the  Louvre. 


# 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL  15 

beauties  as  divine  ones.  The  Court  poet,  Bellincioni,  wrote  a 
most  flattering  sonnet  on  this  picture  and  its  subject. 

Lucrezia  Crivelli,  another  mistress  of  the  Duke,  was  likewise 
painted  by  Leonardo,  either  at  this  time  or  somewhat  later, 
and  for  a  long  time  it  has  been  thought  that  the  painting  in 
the  Louvre  known  by  the  title  of  La  Belle  Feronniere,  was 
the  portrait  of  Lucrezia,  but  recent  criticism  has  thrown  some 
doubt  on  the  subject.^ 

If  not  the  portrait  of  the  Louvre,  this  beauty,  of  whom  it  is 
recorded  that  she  was  **  painted  by  Leonardo,  the  first  of 
painters,  and  loved  by  Lodovico,  the  first  of  commanders,"  is 
also  lost  to  posterity,  and  not  even  a  copy  is  known  to  exist. 

Of  the  portraits  of  Lodovico  himself  there  remain  a  drawing 
in  the  Ambrosian,  that  probably  represents  him,  and  a  very 
carefully  executed  pencil  drawing  in  the  Christ  Church  collection 
atOxford.2 

But  more  important  works  were  soon  set  about  by  Leonardo 
than  the  painting  of  his  master's  mistresses.  The  equestrian  statue 
of  the  great  Francesco  Sforza,  that  he  speaks  of  in  his  letter  as 
being  able  to  undertake,  was  at  last  decided  upon,  and  Leonardo 
began  to  make  studies  for  it  soon  after  his  arrival  in  Milan.  He  had 
no  doubt  before  this  gained  a  knowledge  and  enthusiasm  about 
the  horse  from  his  master  Andrea  Verrocchio,  with  whom  also 


*  Pere  Dan  described  it  in  his  "  Tresor  des  Merveilles  de  Fontainebleau,"  as  a 
portrait  of  a  Duchess  of  Mantua ;  and  Crowe  and  Cavacaselle  have  lately  found 
that  Leonardo  really  painted  a  portrait  of  Isabel  d'Este,  Marchioness  of  Mantua, 
in  1500,  so  it  is  possible  that  la  belle  Feronniere  was  a  legitimate  duchess  after 
all,  and  not  a  mistress  either  of  Sforza  or  Francis  I. — See  "  Academy ^^  vol.  i. 
page  123. 

■^  It  has  been  supposed  that  the  portrait  of  a  warrior  in  the  Dresden  Gallery  is 
that  of  Lodovico,  but  there  seems  no  foundation  for  thinking  so.  It  was 
engraved  by  Hollar,  in  1647,  by  the  name  of  Morett,  who  was  jeweller  to  Henry 
VIII.  If  this  name  be  right,  the  portrait  is  more  probably,  as  other  critics 
think,  by  Holbein. 


l6  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCL 

it  was  the  favourite  animal,  and  who  was  at  this  same  time 
employed  on  a  great  equestrian  statue  to  Colleone  in  Venice ; 
and  now,  in  view  of  his  great  undertaking,  he  literally  devoted 
himself  to  the  subject,  reading  ancient  writers,  studying  ancient 
Vworks  of  art,  especially  the  equestrian  statue  of  Marcus  Aurelius, 
and,  above  all,  familiarizing  himself  with  every  movement  of 
the  living  animal  and  every  muscle  of  the  dead  one. 

The  infinity  of  studies  that  Leonardo  made  for  this  purpose 
may  be  judged  of  by  the  number  that  still  remain  scattered  in 
various  collections.  The  most  precious  are  in  the  collection 
of  Windsor  Castle,  where  we  seem  to  follow  the  master  in  all  his 
fresh  ideas  and  changes  of  thought  on  the  subject.  At  one  time 
he  tries  a  battle  horse  "scenting  the  battle  from  afar,"  at  another 
a  stately  animal  on  parade,  then  a  general  in  the  calm  exercise 
of  authority,  and  again  leading  a  furious  cavalry  charge  ;  he  even 
seems  to  have  had  the  idea — "  I'idee  toute  chretienne"  Rio  calls 
it — of  representing  symbolically  the  image  of  Death  at  the  same 
time  as  that  of  Triumph ;  but  this  no  doubt  was  given  up  as  too 
fantastic  for  a  great  national  work. 

Unfortunately  we  are  ignorant  which  of  his  many  ideas  for 
this  statue  he  finally  carried  out,^  for,  as  every  one  knows,  the 
clay  model  for  it,  which  had  taken  Leonardo  ten  years  to  execute, 
was  destroyed  but  a  few  years  after  its  erection. 
1^^^  Many  other  works,  however,  occupied  Leonardo  during  these 
ten  years  besides  the  statue  of  Francesco  Sforza.  Those,  indeed, 
who  lament  over  his  dilatoriness  and  instability  should  bear  in 
mind,  not  that  he  failed  to  execute  all  he  conceived,  but  that  his 
conceptions  were  so  great  and  so  many  that  it  was  next  to 
impossible  to  do  so.     All  he  could  do  when  they  were  such  as 

^  On  the  cover  of  one  of  his  MSS.  is  written  in  Leonardo's  own  hand — "  A  dl 
23  aprile,  1490,  incominciai  questo  libro,  et  richominciai  il  cavallo."  "  The  23rd 
of  April,  1490,  I  commenced  this  book  and  recommenced  the  horse."  Showing 
that  he  had  already  begun  it  once,  if  not  many  times  before. 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL  17 

could  be  expressed  by  painting,  was  to  leave  them  to  his  pupils 
to  carry  out.  It  is  by  this  means  that  we  have  so  many  gracious 
pictures  of  the  school  of  Leonardo  that  are  often  attributed  to 
the  master,  and  that  were  truly  inspired  by  him  though  not 
executed  by  his  hand. 

Rio  describes  him  as  "  travailleur  infatigable,"  as  well  as 
"genie  superienr  et  universel;"  and  with  perfect  truth,  In  spite 
of  the  little  that  he  accomplished — the  little,  that  is,  compared 
with  what  might  have  been  expected  from  his  vast  genius. 
What  was  wanting  in  him  was  the  talent  necessary  to  turn  his 
genius  to  account.  It  is  the  man  of  talent  who  sees  the  prac- 
tical uses  to  which  the  inventions  of  the  man  of  genius  are 
applicable,  and  the  praise  often  goes  to  the  man  who  executes 
rather  than  to  the  man  who  conceives. 

Leonardo  was  slow  in  execution,  never  able,  it  would  seem,  to 
please  himself  He  took,  as  we  have  seen,  ten  years  over  the 
statue  of  Francesco  Sforza ;  the  portrait  of  Mona  Lisa  occupied 
him  for  four  years,  and  all  his  patrons  seem  to  have  com- 
plained of  the  difficulty  they  experienced  in  getting  their  com- 
missions finished.  The  fact  was  he  aimed  at  perfection,  and  was 
always  seeking 

"  That  wondrous  pateme,  wheresoere  it  bee, 

Whether  in  earth  layd  up  in  secret  store, 
Or  else  in  heaven,  that  no  man  may  it  see 

With  sinfal  eyes  for  feare  it  to  deplore." 

That  perfect  Ideal  beauty  that  neither  he  nor  other  mortal  has 
ever  yet  been  able  to  find,  though  many  have  gained  glimpses 
of  it  now  and  then. 

Leonardo,  however,  though  not  a  clever  practical  man,  was  no 
mere  theorist  and  dreamer.  One  of  his  most  arduous  works  at 
Milan,  and  one  that  no  doubt  engaged  a  large  proportion  of  his 
time,  was  the  founding  and  subsequent  direction  of  the  Milan 
Academy — Academia  Leonardi  Vinci,  the  inscription  says.     His 


i8  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCI. 

numerous  treatises  were,  there  seems  little  doubt,  composed  for 
the  benefit  of  this  academy.  They  can  scarcely  indeed  be  called 
treatises,  but  are  more  like  rough  notes  and  practical  directions 
jotted  down  hastily  In  order  to  aid  in  the  oral^struction  of 
pupils,  like  the  lecture  notes  of  a  modern  lecturer.  He  was 
wont,  we  are  told,  to  declare  that  all  sciences  were  related  to  art, 
with  the  exception  of  theology,  metaphysics  and  law ;  and  truly 
he  has  written  on  almost  every  branch  of  natural  science  himself 
We  have  notes  on  statics,  dynamics,  hydrostatics,  astronomy, 
botany,  optics,  mechanics,  which  last  he  calls  the  "  paradise  of 
mathematical  sciences ;  "  ^  theories  of  combustion,  in  which  he 
recognizes  the  air  as  the  supporter  of  combustion,  nearly  three 
centuries  before  even  that  approximation  to  the  truth  was  arrived 
at ;  treatises  on  military  architecture,  and  on  many  other  subjects 
in  addition  to  those  more  especially  relating  to  art,  such  as 
the  treatises  on  painting,  on  light  and  shade,  on  perspective, 
on  anatomy,  and  on  proportion.  In  all  these  his  teaching  is 
thoroughly  practical.  Nothing  can  be  simpler  than  his  advice 
or  more  intelligible  than  his  directions.  Unlike  Turner,  who, 
we  are  told,  used  to  perplex  his  Royal  Academy  students  greatly 
by  his  involved  language  and  enigmatical  instructions,  Leonardo 
da  Vinci  conveyed  his  in  the  plainest  terms. 

"  Theory,"  he  says  in  one  of  his  notes,  *'  is_the  general,  Practice 
the  .soldiers/'  and  he  is  always  exhorting  art  students  to  the 
diligent  study  of  nature.  "  Whoever,"  he  says,  ''  flatters  himself 
that  he  can  retain  in  his  memory  all  the  effects  of  nature  is 
deceived,  for  our  memory  is  not  so  capacious  ;  therefore  consult 
nature  for  everything."  ^  And  again,  "  A  painter  ought  to  study 
universal  nature  and  reason  much  within  himself  on  all  he  sees, 
making  use  of  the  most  excellent  parts  that  compose  the  species 

*  "  La  meccanica  \  il  paradise  delle  scienze  matematiche,  perchb  con  quella  si 
viene  al  frutto  delle  scienze  matematiche."— Fol.  8  of  the  manuscripts. 
2  "  Trattato  della  Pittura,"  cap.  20. 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA    VINCL  19 

of  every  object  before  him.  His  mind  will  by  this  method  be 
like  a  mirror,  reflecting  truly  every  object  placed  before  it,  and 
become,  as  it  were,  a  second  nature."  ^ 

One  can  estimate  the  value  of  his  teaching  in  a  great  degree 
by  the  excellence  of  the  painters  who  issued  from  his  school. 
Squarcione's  famous  and  largely  attended  school  in  Padua  only 
produced  one  master  of  note,  Mantegna,  but  it  is  not  the  least 
of  Leonardo's  merits  that  his  teaching  formed  such  men  as 
Bernardino  Luini,  Andrea  Solario,  Marco  d'Oggione,  Cesare  da 
Sesto,  and  Beltraffio,  besides  many  other  excellent  pupils.  No 
master,  indeed,  ever  had  such  devoted  followers,  and  many  of 
them  retained  the  purity  of  his  style  long  after  his  death,  in  the 
midst  of  the  Pagan  Renaissance,  when  the  followers  of  Raphael 
broke  all  bounds. 

The  year  in  which  the  Milan  Academy  was  founded  is  not 
known  exactly,  but  it  was  probably  soon  after  Leonardo  had 
settled  in  Milan.  Ver^'  likely  he  suggested  the  idea  of  it  to 
Lodovico,  who  readily  fell  in  with  anything  likely  to  increase 
his  reputation  as  a  patron  of  the  fine  arts.  He  himself  used,  it 
is  said,  often  to  propose  difficult  problems  for  Leonardo  to  solve, 
such  as.  whether  painting  were  a  nobler  art  than  sculpture. 
Lomazzo  tells  us,  in  his  Treatise,  that  Leonardo  wrote  a  book 
on  this  subject  in  which  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  more 
the  exercise  of  an  art  fatigues  the  body  the  less  noble  it  is.^ 

Many  were  the  problems,  no  doubt,  that  engaged  his  mind ; 
problems  in  natural  science  and  art  mostly,  and  not  theological 
or  metaphysical  ones,  such  as  were  vexing  the  minds  of  most 


»  "  Trattato,"  cap.  8. 

2  "  Qiianto  piu  un'  arte  porta  seco  fatica  di  corpo  e  sudore  tanto  piu  e  vile  e  men 
pregiata." — Lomazzo,  Trattato  delC  Arte,  lib.  ii.  cap.  xiv.  Lomazzo  was  the 
friend  and  pupil  of  Leonardo,  and  has  left  us  a  few  details  concerning  him.  He 
was  a  painter  in  early  life,  but  becoming  blind,  he  took  to  writing  on  art  instead 
of  practising  it. 


30  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL 

philosophers  and  teachers  of  this  time.  The  only  schoolman 
whom  he  seems  to  have  studied  was  Albertus  Magnus,  being 
attracted  towards  him,  no  doubt,  by  his  writings  on  physical 
science  and  his  knowledge  of  chemistry,  a  knowledge  that  gained 
for  Albertus  the  reputation  of  a  magician  in  his  day.  Among 
the  ancients  he  devoted  most  study  to  Vitruvius,  whose  writings 
had  recently  been  brought  to  light  after  ten  centuries  of  neglect 
and  had  been  translated  and  commented  upon  by  his  friend  Fra 
Luca  Paciolo.  The  treatise  of  Vitruvius  on  the  orders  of 
architecture  is  said  to  have  especially  engaged  his  attention. 
Like  all  men  of  his  time,  he  sympathized  fully  with  the 
movement  that  was  producing  a  revival  of  the  ancient  learning 
in  Italy,  and  although  his  works  have  not  the  classicism  of 
those  of  many  of  his  contemporaries,  they  show  a  full  under- 
standing of  the  spirit  of  antique  grace  and  beauty.  In  an  epitaph 
composed  in  his  lifetime,  and  it  would  seem  under  his  direction, 
by  his  friend  Platino  Piatto,  he  calls  himself  ''  The  admirer  of 
the  ancients  and  their  grateful  disciple.  One  thing,"  he  adds,  "  is 
lacking  to  me,  their  science  of  proportion.  I  have  done  what  I 
could  ;  may  posterity  pardon  me."  ^ 

In  1490  Leonardo  was  associated  with  the  architects  who 
were  then  sitting  in  council  on  the  subject  of  the  cupola  of  Milan 
Cathedral.  The  cathedral  had  been  begun  in  the  time  of  the 
Visconti,  and  its  building  had  been  carried  on  as  an  hereditary 
profession,  as  it  were,  by  the  family  of  the  Solari  for  several 
generations.*  Lodovico  Sforza  took  the  greatest  interest  in  its 
progress,  and  even  contributed  a  large  sum  towards  it ;  and 
when  the  question  of  raising  the  cupola  was  mooted,  he  sum- 
moned architects  from  all  parts  of  Italy,  and  even  Germany,  to 

*  "  Mirator  veterum  discipulusque  memor 

Defuit  una  mihi  symmetria  prisca.     Peregi 
Quod  potui :  veniam  da  mihi,  posteritas." 
2  Rio,  "  De  I'Art  chraien,"  tome  iii. 


l- 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCL  21 

give  their  opinion  on  this  important  point,  the  same  that  had 
occupied  Florence  with  regard  to  her  cathedral  in  the  time  of 
Brunelleschi.  Stormy  debates  took  place,  for  the  hereditary 
architects,  and  all  who  remained  faithful  to  the  Gothic  style, 
wished  to  preserve  the  unity  of  the  building  by  finishing  it  in 
the  spirit  and  style  in  which  it  had  been  begun  ;  whilst  Omedeo, 
now  joined  with  Solari,  and  other  partisans  of  the  new  style, 
desired  to  adorn  it  in  all  the  pride  of  the  Renaissance. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  know  which  side  Leonardo  took  in 
this  controversy,  but  unfortunately  we  are  not  told.  Probably  it 
was  for  this  purpose  that  he  studied  the  orders  of  architecture  of 
Vitruvius ;  he  could  scarcely  have  helped  making  many  original 
suggestions,  but  perhaps  they  were  considered  "  impossible  and 
impracticable "  by  the  architects,  like  his  scheme  for  raising  the 
church  of  San  Giovanni  in  Florence,  that  had  sunk  too  deep  in 
the  soil,  and  placing  it  on  a  substructure  with  steps  leading  up  to 
it,  which  he  would  no  doubt  have  "  made  trial  of,"  and  perhaps 
have  succeeded  in  had  he  been  permitted.  Vasari  tells  us  that 
he  even  had  plans  for  the  removal  of  mountains,  so  that  they 
might  be  easily  passed  from  one  plain  to  another. 

Another  of  Leonardo's  labours  during  the  first  ten  years  of 
his  settlement  in  Milan,  was  the  irrigation  of  some  of  the  dry 
plains  of  Lombardy  by  means  of  a  system  of  hydraulics,  by  which 
he  turned  the  waters  of  the  Ticino  to  good  account.  In  carrying 
out  this  work  he  had,  as  we  learn  from  his  notes,  to  visit  various 
places  in  Lombardy,  especially  Sesto  Calende,  Varal  Pombio, 
and  Vegevano,  where,  he  remarks,  "  in  the  winter  the  vines  are 
buried" — iiella  vernataje  vigne  si  sotterrano} 

Such   were    Leonardo's   graver   labours,   but  we    find    these 
interspersed  with  many  of  a  lighter  description.      No  fete,  or 


*  This  note  was  ^mtten  on  the  20th  of  March,  1492,  which  fixes  the  date  of 
this  undertaking. 


22  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL 

joust,  or  wedding,  could  take  place  at  court  without  Leonardo 
being  made  master  of  the  ceremonies.  He  it  was  who  devised 
the  pageants,  who  arranged  the  jousts,  and  provided  those  curious 
*'  entremetz,"  as  they  were  called,  to  the  feasts  of  which  we  have 
so  many  descriptions  in  old  chroniclers.  For  instance,  on  the 
occasion  of  the  young  Duke  Giovanni  Galeazzo's  marriage  with 
Isabella  of  Arragon,  which  took  place  in  1489,  we  find  that  he 
invented  for  the  entertainment  of  the  wedding  party  a  repre- 
sentation of  the  heavens  with  the  planets  revolving  therein. 
These  opened  as  the  bride  and  bridegroom  approached,  and 
discovered  a  person  dressed  to  represent  the  deity  of  the  planet, 
who  recited  complimentary  verses  composed  by  Belincioni  in 
honour  of  the  occasion/ 

In  1492  Lodovico  married  the  gentle  and  pious  Beatrice 
d'  Este,  a  brutal  libertine  married  to  a  mild  saint.  He  seems, 
however,  to  have  truly  loved  his  young  wife,  and  although  he  by 
no  means  renounced  his  mistresses  for  her  sake,  her  sweet  influence 
must  have  had  a  purifying  effect  in  his  court.  Leonardo  super- 
intended the  fetes  given  in  honour  of  the  wedding,  and  moreover 
became  the  architect  and  decorator  of  the  apartments  designed 
for  the  new  duchess  in  the  Castello  della  Rocca ;  building  for  her 
a  beautiful  bath  room  in  the  garden,  adorned  with  coloured 
marbles  and  mosaics  and  a  figure  of  Diana  designed  it  is 
supposed  by  himself.^ 

A  profile  portrait  of  Beatrice  d'  Este,  in  the  Ambrosian  Library 
at  Milan,  painted  in  the  hard  German  style,  is  said  to  be  by 
Leonardo,  but,  as  with  most  works  assigned  to  him,  this  Is 
extremely  doubtful.  A  drawing  in  the  same  collection,  of  great 
delicacy,  is  more  likely  to  be  original.^ 

'  Amoretti,  p.  41. 

2  Among  his  manuscripts  are  drawings  of  keys  and  handles  for  turning  on 
water,  evidently  designed  for  this  artistic  bath  room. 
•*  Charles  Blanc,  "  Paris  \  Venise  :  Notes  en  crayon." 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL  23 

It  was  at  another  royal  wedding,  that  of  the  sister  of  Giovanni 
Galeazzo,  to  the  Emperor  MaximiHan,  in  1493,  that  the  clay 
model  of  the  great  equestrian  statue  of  Francesco  Sforza,  said 
to  have  been  begun,  it  will  be  remembered,  in  1483,  was  at  last 
exposed  to  public  view.^  The  enthusiasm  that  this  work  excited 
went  beyond  bounds.  All  Italy  talked  of  it.  Poe^q  wrote 
about  it,  and  critic^  p->^|;f^11prl  it  pq  grt^atf^r  than  anything  Greece, 
and  Rome  had  produced  of  like  kind.  Indeed,  it  is  evident 
that  he  was  regarded  by  many  of  his  contemporaries  as  greater  as 
a  sculptor  than  as  a  painter.  Paulus  Jovius,  the  Italian  historian 
of  that  time,  in  the  few  lines  that  he  has  given  to  Leonardo  in 
one  of  his  works,  scarcely  deigns  to  mention  him  as  a  painter, 
but  accords  great  praise  to  his  sculpture,  which  he  says  Leonardo 
preferred  to  painting.^ 

Unfortunately,  we  can  only  judge  of  the  grandeur  and  perfec- 
tion of  this  great  work  by  the  admiration  it  called  forth  during 
the  few  years  of  its  existence.^    It  was  soon  as  completely  lost  as 

*  Lazzaroni  and  Taccone,  the  poets  who  have  described  these  nuptial  fetes  in 
Latin  and  Italian  verses,  say  that  the  statue  was  placed  under  a  triumphal  arch  in 
the  public  place  opposite  the  castle  : — 

"  Fronte  stabat  prima  quem  totus  noverat  orbis 
Sfortia  Franciscus,  Ligurum  dominator  et  altae 
■    Insubrise,  portatus  equo." 
Lazzaroni,  "  De  nuptiis  imperatoriae  majestatis  .  .  .  anno   1493."     Mediolani, 
1494.  Quoted  by  Charles  Blanc,  "  Histoire  des  Peintres."  See  also  the  "  Ricordi " 
of  Monsignore  da  Castiglione. 

2  "  Plasticam  ante  alia  penicillo  praeponebat."  Quoted  by  Bossi,  "  II  Cenacolo." 
^  The  following  verses  were,  according  to  Sassi,  inscribed  at  the  base  of  the 
statue  by  an  admiring  poet : — 

"  Quisquis  colosson  principis  vides,  asta; 
Franciscus  auctor  Sfortiae  sacer  gentis 
Ille,  iUe  bello  est  maximus,  toga  major 
Fortunae  alumnus,  redditum  aetheri  Numen 
Postquam  aureum  urbi  saeculum  tulit  sceptris, 
Par  gentium  victor  Numae  Quirinoque. 
Pietatem  amat  Mauri  ac  opus  Leonard! 
Vinci  aestimat.     Vidisti  ?    Abi,  hospes,  et  gaude." 


24  LIFE    OF   LEONARDO    DA     VINCL 

the  great  works  of  ancient  art  of  which  we  read  such  wonderful 
accounts  in  the  writings  of  Greek  and  Latin  historians.  Not 
even  one  undoubtedly  authentic  drawing  or  other  copy  of  it 
remains,  for  although  so  many  studies  for  it  exist,  we  cannot 
point  to  any  one  and  say,  ''  that  was  the  idea  that  Leonardo 
carried  out  in  his  Francesco  Sforza."  Many  attempts,  how- 
ever, have  been  made  to  discover  some  indication  of  his  de- 
sign. In  a  MS.  entitled  Gesti  di  F^^ancesco  Sforza,  written  by 
Bartolomeus  Gambagnola  in  1490,  and  now  preserved  in 
the  Bibliotheque  at  Paris,  there  are  three  miniatures,  one 
of  which  represents  the  hero  on  horseback  under  a  portico, 
which  is  supposed  by  Waagen  to  be  a  copy  of  Leonardo's 
great  statue.^ 

Charles  Blanc  also,  in  the  "  Histoire  des  Peintres,"  gives  a 
woodcut  from  a  drawing  by  Leonardo  of  a  warrior  in  armour 
on  horseback.  His  face,  over  which  a  visor  is  nearly  closed,  is 
turned  to  the  right,  so  that  only  one  eye  is  visible.  The  horse's 
head  is  turned  to  the  left,  and  his  left  foot  advances.  It  is  a 
powerful  drawing,  certainly,  but  it  is  difficult  to  accept  it  as 
Leonardo's  final  expression  of  "  Le  Due  Sforza,"  the  title  placed 
unhesitatingly  beneath  it,  or  even  to  agree  with  the  author  in 
thinking  that  "II  serait  difficile  de  mieux  concilier  le  sentiment 
de  la  vie  avec  la  dignite  du  grand  style,  la  llberte  et  la  tradition." 
It  is  not  unlike  one  of  Hans  Burgkmaier's  drawings  from  the 
Triumph  of  Maximilian. 

A  drawing  at  Windsor  of  a  horseman  in  full  gallop  and  in  a 
commanding  attitude  is  evidently  another  of  Leonardo's  designs 
for  this  subject,  for  it  is  placed  on  a  pedestal,  but  it  is  impossible 
to  say  whether  it  was  the  design.  Several  other  sketches  of 
horsemen  are  likewise  in  the  Windsor  collection. 

The  question  whether  this  statue  was  ever  cast  in  bronze  has 

^  "  Kunstwerke  und  Kunstler  in  England  und  Paris.' 


Sketch  for  the  Statue  of  Francesco  Sforza. 


To  face  p.  24. 


/  fN 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL  25 

been  mooted,  but  it  appears  certain  that  it  never  was,^  though  for 
what  reason  does  not  distinctly  appear.  Very  Hkely  Leonardo 
himself,  delayed,  in  the  first  instance,  as  was  his  wont,  wishing 
still  to  give  last  touches  to  his  chef-d'oeuvre,  and  then  bad  times 
coming  on,  and  the  ducal  treasury  being  exhausted,  the  money 
could  not  be  found  to  give  it  its  final  form.  There,  in  the  clay 
model,  lay  the  artist's  conception,  the  mechanical  process  for  its 
preservation  could  be  undertaken  at  any  time.  This  no  doubt  is 
what  Lodovico  thought,  and  Leonardo  seems  to  have  thought  the 
same,  for  in  a  letter  written  to  Lodovico  that  has  been  found 
among  his  MSS.,  he  says,  complaining  of  his  two  years'  arrear 
of  pay  : — "  I  say  nothing  of  the  horse,  because  I  know  the 
times  " — Del  cavallo  non  diro  niente,  perche  cognosco  i  tempi. 

But  unfortunately,  neither  of  them  knew  the  times  to  come, 
nor  could  foresee  the  fate  of  duke  or  horse. 

According  to  Castiglione,  who  might  have  been  an  eye- 
witness of  the  scene  in  his  youth,  the  model  of  the  horse,  on 
which  Leonardo  had  worked  for  sixteen  years,  was,  owing  to  the 
ignorance  and  carelessness  of  certain  persons,  who  did  not 
understand  genius,  or  had  no  appreciation  of  it,  "  shamefully 
abandoned  to  destruction,  and  this  admirable,  ingenious  work 
became  the  target  of  Gascon  archers."  ^ 

This  destruction,  it  has  always  been  supposed,  took  place  in 
1499,  when  the  French  entered  Milan,  but  evidence  has  lately 
been  found  to  prove  that  it  was  at  all  events  still  in  existence,  if 
not  in  a  perfect  state  of  preservation,  in  1501.     This  evidence 


^  The  only  reason  for  thinking  that  it  was  is  that  Luca  Paciolo,  in  the  preface 
to  his  "  Divina  Proportione,"  speaks  of  the  weight  of  the  bronze  as  being  20,000 
lbs.,  but  probably  he  reckons  the  weight  of  bronze  that  it  would  take,  not  that  it 
had  taken. 

2  "  I  quali,  siccome  non  conoscono  la  virtu,  cosi  nulla  la  estimano,  si  lascio 
vituperosamente  rovinare,  essendo  stata  una  cosi  nobile  ed  ingegnosa  opera  fatta 
bersaglio  a  balestrieri  guasconi." — Ricordi  di  Mgr,  Sabba  da  Castiglione. 


26  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCL 

consists  of  a  letter^  written  in  1591  from  the  Duke  Hercule 
d'Este  to  Giovanni  Valla,  his  ambassador  at  Milan,  in  which  he 
says,  that  he  had  ordered  a  clay  model  of  a  horse  to  be 
prepared  on  which  to  place  his  own  statue  in  the  "  place  "  of  his 
new  town,  but  that  it  had  happened  that  the  master  he  had 
employed  had  died  before  finishing  the  work,  and  that  no  one 
else  could  be  found  in  the  country  who  was  capable  of  continuing 
it.  In  this  strait,  "  remembering  that  there  existed  at  Milan 
a  model  of  a  horse  executed  by  a  certain  Master  Leonardo,  a 
master  very  skilful  in  such  matters,  that  the  Duke  Lodovico  had 
always  intended  to  have  cast,  we  thought  that  if  we  might  make 
use  of  this  model  it  would  be  a  good  and  desirable  thing  to  cast 
the  horse  in  question.  Therefore,  we  wish  you  to  go  imme- 
diately to  the  most  illustrious  and  reverend  Lord  Cardinal  of 
Rouen,  and  make  known  to  him  the  want  we  are  in,  and  beg  his 
reverend  Lordship  if  he  is  not  in  want  of  it  himself  to  be  so 
good  as  to  give  us  this  model.  We  would  not  deprive  him  of 
anything  that  was  agreeable  to  him,  but  we  are  persuaded  that 
he  cares  but  little  for  this  work.  You  may  add  that  this  would 
be  a  very  agreeable  thing  for  us  for  the  reasons  above  men- 
tioned, and  that  we  should  have  great  contentment  in  doing  it, 
remembering  that  the  said  model  at  Milan  is,  as  you  have  told 
us,  falling  into  decay  day  by  day,  because  no  one  takes  care  of 
it.  If  the  very  rev.  Lord  will  content  us  as  we  hope  in  this 
matter,  we  will  send  some  one  to  bring  the  said  model  hither 
with  all  care  and  necessary  precaution,  so  that  it  be  not  spoilt. 
Do  not  fail  to  employ  all  your  good  offices,  that  our  desire  may 
be  satisfied  by  his  very  reverend  Lordship,  to  whom  present  our 
offers  of  service  and  our  compliments.  Ferrara,  19th  Sep- 
tember, 1 501." 


*  Discovered  by  Giuseppe  Campori.    See  "  Nouveaux  documents  sur  Leonard 
de  Vinci."    Gazette  des  Beaux-Arts,  1866. 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCL  27 

Here  was  a  good  chance  of  saving  Leonardo's  masterwork  for 
posterity,  but  with  the  ill-luck  that  seemed  to  attach  itself  to  all 
he  did,  even  this  failed.  The  very  rev.  Lord  Cardinal  of 
Rouen  replied  to  the  ambassador's  request  that  he  could  not 
give  up  the  model  without  having  the  consent  of  the  King  of 
France,  and  the  king  admired  it  himself,  without,  however,  it 
would  seem,  taking  any  steps  for  its  preservation.  It  was  left  at 
Milan,  and  either,  we  may  assume,  fell  into  decay,  or  was 
destroyed  as  Castiglione  asserts  by  the  wantonness  of  war, 
though  not,  it  would  seem,  as  has  hitherto  been  supposed,  at  the 
time  when  the  French  first  entered  Milan  in  1499. 

It  was  in  the  August  of  1494  that  Charles  VIII.  invaded 
Italy  with  his  immense  army,  being  moved  thereunto,  Guicciardini 
says,  "  by  base  persons  and  such  as  were  corrupted  by  money."  ^ 
Lodovico  Sforza  was  one  of  these  base  persons,  though  it  does 
not  appear  that  he  was  corrupted  by  money ;  indeed,  he  had 
instead  to  supply  it  to  the  king.  But  the  young  duke,  Gian 
Galeazzo,  being  now  of  full  age  and  married  to  a  Neapolitan 
princess,  the  King  of  Naples,  who  was  also  Gian  Galeazzo's 
uncle,  naturally  enough  demanded  that  Lodovico,  the  usurping 
uncle,  should  give  up  the  Regency,  as  his  government  was  still 
called,  and  allow  his  nephew  to  reign  without  interference. 
This,  it  is  easy  to  understand,  did  not  suit  Lodovico^s  ambitious 
views,  and  rather  than  sink  to  the  secondary  position  in  which 
he  had  hitherto  kept  his  nephew,  he  deliberately  opened  his 
country  for  the  French  army  to  pass  through,  and  gave  up 
several  fortresses  that  were  dependent  on  him  in  Genoa,  in 
order  to  facilitate  the  French  conquest  of  Naples,  and  conse- 
quent frustration  of  the  plans  formed  by  the  King  of  Naples  for 
the  installment  of  his  nephew,  who  appears  to  have  been  a  mere 
tool  in  both  uncles'  hands,  in  power.  ^ 

1  "  Storia  d'  Italia." 

2  Sismondi,  "History  of  the  Italian  Republics." 


28  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL 

On  Charles  VIII.  arriving  at  Pa  via,  Lodovico  went  to  meet 
him,  accompanied  by  Leonardo,  who  some  writers  say  prepared 
and  directed  the  magnificent  fetes  that  were  held  on  this 
occasion. 

More  important  to  Leonardo,  no  doubt,  than  the  meeting  with 
Charles  VIII.  was  the  meeting  with  the  celebrated  anatomist, 
Marco  Antonio  della  Torre,  one  of  the  most  distinguished 
professors  of  the  Genoese  Academy,  whose  acquaintance  he 
made  at  this  time. 

Leonardo,  there  is  little  doubt,  had  studied  anatomy  long 
before  this,  but  he  now  sought  a  more  thorough  knowledge  by 
means  of  Delia  Torre's  teaching,  and  in  turn  we  may  suppose 
taught  Della  Torre  something  of  correct  anatomical  drawing.^ 

The  importance  of  anatomy  is  constantly  enforced  in 
Leonardo's  writings.  In  his  treatise  on  painting  he  says  : — 
"  The  painter  who  has  obtained  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the 
nature  of  the  tendons  and  muscles,  and  of  those  parts  which 
contain  the  most  of  them,  will  know  to  a  certainty,  in  giving  a 
particular  motion  to  any  part  of  the  body,  which  and  how  many 
of  the  muscles  give  rise  and  contribute  to  it ;  which  of  them,  by 
swelling,  occasion  their  shortening,  and  which  of  the  cartilages 
they  surround.  He  will  not  imitate  those  who  in  all  the 
different  attitudes  they  adopt  or  invent,  make  use  of  the  same 
muscles  in  the  arms,  back,  or  chest,  or  any  other  parts." ^  And 
again,  in  another  of  his  manuscripts  :  "It  is  necessary  that  a 
painter  should  be  a  good  anatomist,  that  in  his  attitudes  and 
gestures  he  may  be  able  to  design  the  naked  parts  of  the  human 
frame,  according  to  the  just  rules  of  the  anatomy  of  the  nerves, 
bones  and  muscles  ;  and  that  in  his  different  positions  he  may 


*  See  "  Ueber  Marco  Antonio  della  Torre  und  L.  da  Vinci,  die  Begriinder  der 
bildlichen  Anatomie."     Von  C.  F.  A.  Marx.    1849. 
2  "  Trattato  della  Pittura,"  cap.  43. 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL  29 

know  what  particular  nerve  or  muscle  is  the  cause  of  such  a 
particular  movement,  in  order  that  he  may  make  that  only 
marked  and  apparent,  and  not  all  the  rest,  as  many  artists  are  in 
the  habit  of  doing ;  who,  that  they  may  appear  great  designers, 
make  the  naked  limbs  stiff  and  without  grace,  so  that  they  have 
more  the  appearance  of  a  bag  of  nuts  than  the  human  super- 
ficies, or  rather,  more  like  a  bundle  of  radishes  than  naked 
muscles." 

It  would  have  been  well  had  the  anatomical  painters  who 
followed  Michael  Angelo  borne  this  precept  in  mind.  "A  bag 
of  nuts"  Is  not  a  bad  description  of  some  of  their  contorted 
nudities.  • 

It  was  whilst  he  was  with  Charles  VIII.  that  Lodovico  heard 
the  news  of  his  nephew  Gian  Galeazzo's  death.  Whether  this 
was  caused  by  his  uncle  or  not  is  now  impossible  to  determine. 
Such  Gulcciardini  tells  us  was  the  "universal  judgment  of  Italy" 
at  the  time,  but  the  poisoning  of  inconvenient  relatives  was  a 
thing  of  such  constant  occurrence  in  Italy,  that  when  one  died  it 
was  more  natural  to  attribute  It  to  that  cause  than  any  other.  It 
seems  unlikely,  if  Lodovico  had  wished  to  make  away  with  his 
nephew,  that  he  should  not  have  done  it  before  the  latter  had 
had  two  children  born  to  him,  and  before  he  had  got  involved  In 
a  quarrel  with  the  King  of  Naples. 

The  two  infant  children  of  Gian  Galeazzo  were,  however, 
easily  set  aside,  and  Lodovico,  by  the  desire  of  the  council,  '*  for 
the  better  stay  of  the  commonweal,"  became  Duke  In  name  as 
he  had  long  been  in  reality — "  a  burden  very  weighty  In  so 
dangerous  a  season,"  Gulcciardini  adds. 

Troubles  indeed  were  quickly  coming  on,  and  the  splendid 
but  transient  day  of  Lodovico's  fortune,  In  which  Leonardo  and 
others  had  basked,  was  fast  drawing  to  a  stormy  close. 

The  first  misfortune  that  befell  the  duke  was  the  death  of  his 
young  wife,  which  happened  in  1497.     This  event  plunged  him 


30  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA    VINCL 

into  the  deepest  melancholy,  not  unmingled,  we  may  imagine, 
with  remorse.  Refusing  all  consolation,  he  shut  himself  up  for 
a  whole  fortnight  in  a  chamber  hung  with  black,  and  then  only 
came  forth  in  order  to  visit  the  favourite  sanctuaries  and  churches 
of  his  beloved  though  neglected  Beatrice/ 

Of  these  the  Dominican  convent  of  Santa  Maria  delle  Grazie 
was  the  principal.  Here  also  was  a  miraculous  image,^  like  that 
of  the  church  of  San  Celso,^  to  bring  glory  and  profit  to  the 
convent. 

The  duchess  from  the  first  of  her  marriage  had  shown  a 
decided  predilection  for  the  Santa  Maria  delle  Grazie,  and  in 
order  to  please  her  the  duke  had  had  the  convent  and  church 
reconstructed  and  greatly  embellished ;  the  works,  according  to 
Rio,  progressing  or  being  delayed  as  the  pious  wife  or  the 
beautiful  Lucrezia  Crivelli  was  in  the  ascendant.  In  the  re- 
fectory of  the  convent  Leonardo  had  previously  painted  the 
kneeling  portraits  of  Lodovico  and  his  wife  and  children  at  either 
side  of  a  fresco  of  Calvary  by  Montorfani,*  and  he  was  probably 
already  engaged  on  the  Last  Supper  when  the  duchess  died. 

^  An  official  dispatch  of  the  Venetian  ambassador  at  Milan,  thus  records  this 
change  in  the  life  of  Lodovico.  "  El  duca  era  venuto  religioso  molto  e  devotis- 
simo  ;  diceva  1'  oficio  grande,  desunava  e  viveva  casto." — Brown,  Ragguagli^  &c. 

2  Rio,  "  De  I'Art  chretien,"  tome  iii. 

^  The  church  for  which  Leonardo  painted  his  celebrated  composition  of  the 
Virgin  on  the  knees  of  St.  Anna,  of  which  we  have  so  many  repetitions.  The 
original  was  early  replaced  in  San  Celso  by  a  copy  by  Salaino,  but  what  then 
became  of  it  no  one  knows.  The  Louvre  claims  to  possess  it,  and  indeed  it 
does  not  seem  unlikely  that  at  the  time  of  the  French  conquest  of  Milan  it  should 
have  been  carried  off  into  France,  only  the  Louvre  example  has  not  the  peculiar 
subtle  charm  of  a  true  Leonardo.  This  composition  is  the  only  one  of  Leonardo's 
painted  works  mentioned  by  Paulus  Jovius,  who,  as  before  said,  treats  of  him 
chiefly  as  a  sculptor. 

"*  These  portraits  faded  even  sooner  than  the  Last  Supper.  The  Montorfani 
fresco,  a  large  and  important  work,  is  still  in  a  good  state  of  preservation,  whereas 
two  white  spaces  in  the  corners  are  all  that  remain  to  tell  us  of  Leonardo's 
work. 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI.  31 

This  caused  the  remorseful  husband  to  feel  yet  deeper  interest 
in  the  place,  and  the  more  when  he  learnt  that  his  poor  wife,  as 
if  in  anticipation  of  her  own  end,  had  shortly  before  her  death 
spent  long  hours  in  meditation  before  the  tomb  of  the  good 
Duchess  Bianca,  from  which  she  could  only  be  taken  away 
by  force.  All  he  could  now  do  was  to  raise  a  magnificent 
tomb^  to  her  memory,  to  cause  a  hundred  masses  a  day  for  a 
month  to  be  said  for  the  repose  of  her  soul,  and  what  is  of 
more  importance  to  us,  to  proceed  more  energetically  with 
the  decorative  works  that  were  going  on  in  her  favourite 
sanctuary  and  last  resting-place. 

Even  Leonardo  for  once  laid  aside  his  customary  dilatoriness, 
and  in  less  time  than  he  took  over  the  Mona  Lisa  completed  the 
most  famous  of  his  works,  the  most  famous  picture  perhaps  in 
all  the  world.        ^  .; 

The  Last  Supper  was  a  subject  that  had  not  hitherto  been 
often  treated  by  Christian  painters.  Since  the  time  of  Giotto, 
who  twice  depicted  it  in  the  church  of  Santa  Croce  at  Florence,^ 
it  had  apparently  fallen  into  disfavour,  and  neither  the  holy 
Angelico  nor  the  religious  painters  of  Siena  had  returned  to 
it.  The  subject  seemed  indeed  reserved  for  Leonardo,  who 
made  it  his  own  for  ever.  It  is  evident  that  he  himself  felt  the 
grand  significance  of  this  work,  and  gave  it  his  deepest  thought 
and  study.  We  can  well  believe  Bandello^  when  he  tells  us  that 
Leonardo  would  often  go  at  daybreak  to  the  convent  of  Santa 
Maria  and  remain  there  mounted  on  his  scaffolding,  working 
diligently  until  the  evening  shadows  caused  him  to  leave  off,: 
never  thinking  of  eating  or  drinking,  so  completely  absorbed  was 
he  in  his  work.      "  At  other  times,"   Bandello  continues,  '*  he 

^  This  was  afterwards  removed  to  the  church  of  the  Chartreuse,  where  it  may- 
still  be  seen. 

^  Twice,  that  is,  if  we  accept  the  large  fresco  of  the  refectory  as  his  work. 
^  It  is  not  always  desirable  to  believe  him. 


32  LIFE    OF   LEONARDO    DA     VINCI. 

would  remain  three  or  four  days  without  touching  it,  only  coming 
for  an  hour  or  two,  and  remaining  with  crossed  arms  contem- 
plating his  figures  as  if  criticising  them  himself.  I  have  also  seen 
him,"  he  says  elsewhere,  *'  at  midday,  when  the  sun  in  the  zenith 
causes  all  the  streets  of  Milan  to  be  deserted,  set  out  in  all  haste 
from  the  citadel  where  he  was  modelling  his  colossal  horse,  and 
without  seeking  the  shade  take  the  shortest  road  to  the  convent, 
where  he  would  add  a  few  strokes  to  one  of  his  heads,  and  then 
return  immediately."^ 

Lomazzo  tells  us  that  the  head  of  Christ  was  the  subject  of 
long  meditation  with  Leonardo,  that  his  genius  was  continually 
absorbed  in  the  contemplation  of  its  divinity,  and  that  his  hand 
appeared  to  tremble,  he  used  to  say,  whenever  he  attempted  to 
paint  it.^ 

And  in  another  place  the  same  writer  relates  that,  being  in 
despair  at  not  being  able  to  give  to  his  Christ  the  perfection  he 
desired,  Leonardo  asked  counsel  of  his  friend  Bernardo  Zenale, 
who  comforted  him  by  saying,  "  O  Leonardo,  the  error  into 
which  thou  hast  fallen  is  one  from  which  only  the  Divine  Being 
Himself  can  deliver  thee ;  for  it  is  not  in  thy  power  nor  in  that 
of  any  one  else  to  give  greater  divinity  and  beauty  to  any  figures 
than  thou  hast  done  to  these  of  James  the  Greater  and  the  Less  ; 
therefore  be  of  good  cheer  and  leave  the  Christ  imperfect,  for 
thou  wilt  never  be  able  to  accomplish  the  Christ  after  such 
apostles;"  "which  thing,"  Lomazzo  adds,  "Leonardo  did,  as 
may  still  be  seen,  although  the  picture  is  wholly  ruined."^ 

^  Bandello,  "  Novelle,"  vol.  iii.  Matteo  Bandello,  the  amusing  but  scandalous 
and  indecent  novelist  of  the  Court  of  Milan,  was  made  Bishop  of  Agen  by 
Francis  I.  for  no  other  reason,  it  would  seem,  than  because  "  he  told  good 
stories."  He  has  put  one  of  his  stories,  that,  namely,  relating  to  the  discreditable 
adventures  of  Fra  Filippo  Lippo,  into  the  mouth  of  Leonardo. 

2  "  Quel  suo  genio  che  nella  divinity  continuamente  rimirava.  .  .  .  Parea  che 
d'  ogni  hora  tremasse  quando  si  ponea  a  dipingere." — Lomazzo,  Trattato. 

^  Lomazzo,  Trattato^  libro  i.  cap.  x. 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL  33 

In  his  dramatic  rendering  of  the  disciples  Leonardo  has  shown 
the  boldest  and  grandest  naturalism.  They  are  all  of  them  real 
living  men  with  passions  like  unto  us — passions  called  for  the 
moment  by  the  fearful  words  of  the  Master,  "  One  of  ye  shall 
betray  me,"  into  full  and  various  play. 

But  in  the  Master  himself,  even  if  at  first  he  sought  to 
embody  an  original  conception,  as  would  seem  probable  from 
the  various  studies  we  have  for  the  subject,^  and  attempted 
the  passionless  Ideal,  the  godlike  calm,  that  we  find  in  the  repre- 
sentations of  the  Greek  gods,  it  is  evident  from  Lomazzo's 
relation,  and  from  other  testimony,  that  he  did  not  attain  to  the 
perfection  he  desired.  His  *' hand  trembled."  This  was  no 
Greek  god  that  he  had  to  represent,  but  the  loving  Teacher- 
of  Christianity,  the  tender  Shepherd  of  his  flock,  the  Man  of 
Sorrows,  the  God-Man,  it  is  true,  but  the  Son  of  Man  still,  with 
human  emotions  and  human  tears.  It  is  not  strange  th^t  he 
should  not  have  satisfied  himself  in  his  conception  of  this  Ideal, 
nor  that  after  ceaselessly  brooding  over  it,  he  should,  after  all, 
have  accepted  the  type  founded  long  before  in  Byzantium,  and 
which,  by  Its  very  antiquity  and  the  worship  so  long  paid  to 
it,  was  held,  perhaps,  even  In  his  mind,  in  a  certain  amount  of 
superstitious  awe.^     Such,  at  least,  seems  to  me  to  be  the  case,^ 


^  Especially  one  in  which  Christ  is  represented  as  a  beardless  youth,  after  the 
classic  type  that  we  find  in  the  early  representations  in  the  catacombs.  This  is 
mentioned  by  Winckelman,  in  his  "  History  of  Art,"  as  being  of  "  the  highest  manly 
beauty."     It  was  in  his  time  in  the  Lichtenstein  collection. 

2  He  even,  it  would  seem,  painted  the  costume  of  Christ  from  tradition  3  at 
least  TAbb^  Guillon  affirms  that  in  painting  it  "  he  bore  in  mind  the  colour  and 
texture  of  a  piece  of  the  true  garment  of  Christ,  preserved  as  a  relic  in  some 
church  in  Italy."  See  "  Le  Ce'nacle  de  Leonard  de  Vinci,"  &c. ;  "  Essai  Historique 
et  Psychologique,"  par  Aimd  Guillon,  181 1. 

^  It  will  be  seen  that  I  still  venture  to  hold  this  opinion  in  spite  of  my  critic 
in  the  "  Saturday  Review,"  who  calls  my  modest  statement  of  it  elsewhere,  "  a  bold 
and  bouncing  exaggeration  of  acknowledged  historic  fact."    "  The  struggle  of  the 


34  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL 

judging  chiefly  from  such  studies  as  I  have  seen  and  from  Marco 
Oggione's  copy,  which  is  generally  acknowledged  to  be  the  most 
faithful  translation  that  now  exists  of  Leonardo's  great  work. 
In  this  we  certainly  find  the  well-known  Byzantine  type  for 
Christ,  only  its  ascetic  sorrow  is  softened,  and  its  staring  ugliness 
changed  into  sweet  human  beauty.  This  is  not  nearly  so 
observable  in  Raphael  Morghen's  fine  engraving,  in  which  we 
have  an  eighteenth -century  rendering  rather  than  a  translation 
of  Leonardo.  Morghen's  Christ  is  of  refined,  but  somewhat 
effeminate  beauty,  and  the  melancholy  of  the  countenance  is  of 
the  Wertherian  rather  than  the  Byzantine  type.  It  has  not  the 
true  dignity  of  Leonardo's  Christ,  for  Leonardo,  even  if  he 
accepted  the  established  type,  left  on  it,  we  may  feel  sure,  the 
stamp  of  his  own  genius. 

Very  different  was  it  with  the  disciples.  Here  he  was 
haunted  by  no  established  type,  but  drew  from  the  nature  he 
^saw  around  him.  He  made  many  separate  studies  of  the 
"""Apostles  for  the  Last  Supper,  the  most  important  one  being  the 
series  of  which  ten  are  now  in  the  possession  of  the  Czar  of 
Russia.  These  are  probably  the  studies  mentioned  by  Lo- 
mazzo  as  being  drawn  in  pastel,  which  method  he  says  was 
"much  used"  by  Leonardo.' 


painter  in  maturing  his  high  conception,"  which  is  the  "  historic  fact "  he  adduces  in 
proof  of  the  originahty  of  Leonardo's  Christ,  makes  it  all  the  more  probable  that,  as 
Lomazzo  asserts,  he  never  matured  it,  but,  as  I  suppose,  accepted  the  established 
type.  The  same  critic  accuses  me  of  exaggerating  the  present  condition  of  the 
Last  Supper,  "  for  the  sake  of  dramatic  climax ;"  but  the  "  photographs  recently 
taken,"  from  which  he  apparently  derives  his  conclusions,  were  taken  after 
repeated  restorations,  especially  after  the  restoration  effected  by  Barozzi  in  1853. 
Before  this  time  a  photograph  would  hardly  have  revealed  even  its  "dim  out- 
lines." 

*  "  Fu  molto,  usato  da  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  il  quale  fece  le  teste  di  Cristo  e 
degli  Apostoli  a  questo  modo  eccellenti  e  miracolose  in  carte." — Trattato^ 
lib.  iii. 


LIFE    OF   LEONARDO    DA     VINCL  35 

These  valuable  cartoons  belonged,  it  would  seem,  in  the  first 
instance,  to  the  Counts  Arconati.  From  them  they  passed  to 
the  Marquis  Gasnedi,  and  afterwards  into  the  possession  of  the 
Sacredo  family  at  Venice,  by  whom  they  were  sold  to  the 
British  Consul,  Mr.  Udney.  At  his  death  they  were  divided 
into  lots,  of  which  the  first,  consisting  of  three  of  the  heads,  one 
of  these  being  the  head  of  Christ,  was  acquired  by  an  English 
lady,'  while  the  remaining  ten  were  bought  by  Sir  T.  Lawrence. 
At  the  Lawrence  sale  they  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  picture- 
dealer  Woodburn,  who  sold  them  to  the  King  of  Holland. 
Finally,  the  ten  acquired  by  Sir  T.  Lawrence  were  sold  to  the 
Hermitage  for  17,200  fr. 

Besides  these  cartoons,  Gerli^  has  engraved  the  heads  of 
Peter  and  Judas  from  the  French  collection,  and  many  scattered 
studies  may  be  found  in  other  collections. 

Leonardo,  as  before  said,  must  have  taken  less  time  over  the 
Last  Supper  than  over  most  of  his  other  works  ;  for  even  if  we 
suppose  it  was  begun  before  the  erection  of  the  statue — and  there 
is  no  proof  that  it  was  begun  as  soon  as  this,  beyond  Bandello's 
casual  remark — he  could  not  have  been  many  years  about  it ;  for 
Fra  Luca  Paciolo,  the  fellow-countryman  and  friend  of  Leo- 
nardo, speaks  of  it  in  a  letter  to  the  duke,  written  in  February, 
1498,  as  already  finished.^ 

Perhaps  this  unwonted  haste  *  was  one  of  the  causes  of  the 


^  It  is  Dr.  Waagen  who  asserts  this,  in  his  "  Kunst  und  Kiinstler  in  England 
und  Paris." 

2  "  Disegni  di  Leonardo  da  Vinci."     Milan,  1830. 

^  An  entry  also  has  been  found  written  by  the  architect  of  the  monastery,  which 
states  the  following: — "1497.  Item  per  lavori  facti  in  refectorio  dove  dipinge 
Leonardo  gli  Apostare,  con  una  finestra,  37  lire  16  sols." 

■*  Many  ^vriters  consider  that  the  Last  Supper  was  only  begun  after  the  death 
of  the  Duchess  of  Milan.  Houssaye  speaks  of  it  as  undertaken  "  sous  I'impression 
d'un  grand  deuil." 


36  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL 

lamentable  decay  of  this  work  so  soon  after  it  was  executed,' 
but  the  chief  cause,  there  seems  little  doubt,  lay  in  the  process  by 
which    it  was   executed,  a   process   of  oil-painting^  applied    to 


*  The  prior  of  the  convent,  according  to  Vasari,  was  by  no  means  satisfied  with 
the  haste  made  by  Leonardo.  The  story  is  well  known,  but  is  so  good  that  it 
will  bear  repetition : — "  The  prior  of  the  monastery  was  very  importunate  in 
pressing  Leonardo  to  complete  the  picture;  he  could  in  no  way  comprehend 
wherefore  the  artist  should  sometimes  remain  half  a  day  at  a  time  absorbed  in 
thought  before  his  work  without  making  any  progress  that  he  could  see.  He 
would  fain  have  made  him  work  away  like  the  labourers  about  the  place,  without 
ever  putting  aside  his  brush.  Not  content  with  hurrying  Leonardo,  the  prior  even 
went  and  complained  to  the  duke,  and  tormented  him  to  such  a  degree  that  the 
latter  was  at  length  obliged  to  send  for  Leonardo,  whom  he  courteously  entreated 
to  finish  the  work,  assuring  him,  nevertheless,  that  he  only  did  so  because  he  was 
impelled  by  the  importunities  of  the  prior.  Leonardo,  knowing  the  prince  to 
be  intelligent  and  discreet,  determined  to  explain  himself  fully  on  the  subject 
with  him,  although  he  had  never  chosen  to  do  so  with  the  prior.  He  therefore 
discoursed  with  him  at  some  length  respecting  art,  and  made  it  perfectly  manifest 
to  his  comprehension  that  men  of  genius  are  sometimes  producing  most  when 
they  seem  to  be  labouring  least,  their  minds  being  occupied  in  the  elucidation  of 
their  ideas,  and  in  the  completion  of  those  conceptions  to  which  they  afterwards 
give  form  and  expression  with  the  hand.  He  further  informed  the  duke  that 
there  were  still  wanting  to  him  two  heads,  one  of  which,  that  of  the  Saviour,  he 
could  not  hope  to  find  on  earth,  and  had  not  yet  attained  the  power  of  presenting 
it  to  himself  in  imagination,  with  all  that  perfection  of  beauty  and  celestial 
grace  which  appeared  to  him  to  be  demanded  for  the  fitting  representation  of  the 
Divinity  Incarnate.  The  second  head  still  wanting^was  that  of  Judas,  which  also 
caused  him  some  anxiety,  since  he  did  not  think  it  possible  to  imagine  a  form  of 
feature  that  should  properly  render  the  countenance  of  a  man  who,  after  so  many 
benefits  received  from  his  master,  had  possessed  a  heart  so  depraved  as  to  be 
capable  of  betraying  his  Lord  and  the  Creator  of  the  world.  With  regard  to  the 
second,  however,  he  would  make  search,  and  after  all,  if  he  could  find  no  better, 
he  would  never  be  at  any  great  loss,  for  there  would  always  be  the  head  of  that 
troublesome  and  impertinent  prior.  This  made  the  duke  laugh  with  all  his  heart, 
and  the  poor  prior,  utterly  confounded,  went  away  to  drive  on  the  digging  in  his 
garden,  and  left  Leonardo  in  peace."  The  same  story  is  related,  with  slight 
variations,  by  Giraldi,  who  published,  in  1554,  "A  Discourse  on  the  Manner  of 
Composing  Romance  and  Comedy." 

2  That  Leonardo  painted  the  Last  Supper  in  oils  is  positively  asserted  by 
Armenini,  who  wrote  in  the  sixteenth  century,  in  his  "  Veri  precetti  della  Pittura." 


LIFE    OF    LEONARDO    DA     VINCL  37 

walls  that  was  very  probably  Leonardo's  own  invention,  and  the 
fatal  effects  of  which  he  unfortunately  did  not  foresee.  The 
Flemish  or  Van  Eyck  method  of  oil-painting  was  known  in 
Italy  before  this  time  ;  but  Leonardo,  unlike  the  painters  of 
Venice,  who  at  once  adopted  it,  either  did  not  know  it  or 
preferred  his  own  process.  He  was  always  trying  experiments 
with  colours,  oils,*  and  varnishes,  and  no  doubt  sought  for 
the  solution  of  that  problem  of  oil-painting  which  seems  to  have 
occupied  so  many  painters  of  that  time,  and  which  the  Van 
Eycks,  by  their  invention,  whatever  that  may  have  been,  at  last 
successfully  solved. 

Had  he  only  been  content  with  fresco,  his  great  creation 
would  probably  still  live  on  the  walls  of  the  refectory  for  which 
it  was  painted.  As  it  is,  the  painting  that  is  now  shown  to 
visitors  as  Leonardo's  "  Last  Supper "  in  the  convent  of  Santa 
Maria  delle  Grazie  has  been  subjected  to  so  many  restorations 
and  repaintings,    each  one  profaning  and    hiding   the   original 

Lomazzo  also,  in  his  "  Idea  del  Tempio  della  Pittura,"  says,  speaking  of  the  Last 
Supper,  "  Lasciato  T  uso  della  tempera,  passo  all'  olio,  che  usava  assotigliare  con 
lambicchi." 

^  The  following  receipt  for  the  preparation  of  pure  nut  oil  was  found  in 
Leonardo's  own  writing,  and  is  published  by  Amoretti  in  his  edition  of  the 
"  Trattato"  : — "  The  nuts  are  covered  with  a  sort  of  husk  or  skin,  which  if  you  do 
not  remove  when  you  make  the  oil,  the  colouring  matter  of  these  husks  will  rise 
to  the  surface  of  your  painting,  and  cause  it  to  change.  Select  the  finest  nuts, 
take  off  the  shells,  put  them  into  a  glass  vessel  of  clean  water  to  soften,  until  you 
can  remove  the  skin,  change  the  water  and  put  the  nuts  into  fresh  water  seven  or 
eight  times  until  it  ceases  to  be  turbid.  After  some  time  the  nuts  will  dissolve 
and  become  almost  like  milk.  Put  them  into  a  shallow,  open  vessel  in  the  air, 
and  you  mil  soon  see  the  oil  rise  to  the  surface.  To  remove  it  in  a  pure  and 
clean  state,  take  pieces  of  cotton,  like  those  used  for  the  wicks  of  lamps ;  let  one 
end  rest  in  the  oil,  and  the  other  drop  into  a  vase  or  bottle,  which  is  to  be  placed 
about  the  width  of  two  fingers  below  the  dish  containing  the  oil.  By  degrees  the 
oil  will  filter  itself,  and  will  drop  quite  clear  and  limpid  into  the  bottle,  and  the 
lees  will  remain  behind.  All  oils  are  of  themselves  quite  limpid,  but  they  change 
colour  from  the  manner  in  which  they  are  extracted." 


38  LIFE    OF    LEONARDO    DA     VINCL 

more  and  more,  that  no  trace  of  Leonardo's  hand  can  now  be 
found  in  it.  Only  the  general  composition,  the  perfect  design, 
and  the  harmonious  grouping  of  the  figures,  remain  to  reveal 
the  master  in  the  picture  that  has  made  his  name  famous 
throughout  all  the  world. 

The  fate  of  the  Last  Supper  has,  in  truth,  been  almost  as 
disastrous  as  that  of  the  statue  to  Francesco  Sforza,  though  it 
has  perished  more  slowly,  and  copies  certainly  are  not  wanting 
of  it. 

In  15 15,  when  Francis  I.  was  in  Milan,  it  was  still  in  a  perfect 
condition,  and  the  king  was  so  struck  by  its  beauty  that  he 
resolved,  if  possible,  to  carry  it  back  with  him  to  France ;  and  for 
this  purpose,  says  Vasari,  "  made  many  attempts  to  discover 
architects  who  might  be  able  to  secure  it  by  defences  of  wood 
and  iron,  that  it  might  be  transported  without  injury."  But  the 
operation  exceeded  the  skill  of  the  architects  of  those  times,  for 
the  method  of  transferring  a  wall  painting  to  canvas,  as  now 
practised,  was  not  then  known,  and  the  king  was  obliged  to 
give  up  his  coveted  prize  and  leave  it  to  the  tender  care  of  the 
Dominicans,  to  whom  it  belonged.^  Its  first  injury  arose  from 
an  accident — an  inundation,  namely — that  caused  the  refectory  to 
lie  for  some  time  partly  under  water,  thus  adding  to  the  bad 
condition  of  the  wall  on  which  it  was  painted,  and  which  from 
the  first  had  been  predisposed  to  damp.  This  happened 
probably  before  Lomazzo  spoke  of  it  as  "  wholly  ruined " 
("  rovinata  tutta").^  This  early  decay  can  alone  account  for  the 
shameful  ill-treatment  it  afterwards  received.     The  uninitiated 


'  De  Pagave  (quoted  in  the  latest  edition  of  Vasari)  says  that  the  king,  finding 
it  impossible  to  remove  the  picture,  had  a  copy  made  of  it  by  Luini,  which  he 
placed  in  the  church  of  St.-Germain-l'Auxerrois,  Paris. 

2  The  first  edition  of  Lomazzo,  "Trattato  dell'  Arte,"  &c.,  was  published  in 
1584-85.  He  was  then  blind,  so  could  not  have  spoken  from  personal 
observation. 


LIFE    OF    LEONARDO    DA     VINCL^  39 

saw  in  it  only  a  ruined  and  worthless  work.  The  Dominican 
monks,  at  all  events,  seem  to  have  been  wholly  unaware  of  the 
treasure  they  possessed.  One  of  their  priors,  not  content  with 
leaving  it  to  perish,  had  the  barbarism  to  make  a  doorway 
through  it,  cutting  off  by  so  doing  the  feet  of  Christ  and  the 
nearest  disciples.  This  was  in  1652.  In  the  next  century  the 
Dominican  trustees  of  Leonardo's  legacy  to  the  world  appear 
to  have  become  aware  of  the  preciousness  of  their  charge,  and 
accordingly  in  1726  employed  an  inferior  artist,  named  Belotti, 
to  restore  the  picture  to  its  former  beauty.  Alas  !  their  care  was 
far  worse  than  their  neglect.  This  Belotti  "  restored"  with  so 
much  vigour,  that  he  left  nothing  untouched  but  the  sky.  His 
work  proving  unsatisfactory,  another  bungling  restorer  was 
employed  in  1770,  named  Mazza,  a  proUgi  oi  the  Governor  of 
Milan,  who  completed  the  destruction  begun  by  Belotti.  He  in 
fact  repainted,  according  to  his  own  notions,^  the  whole  picture, 
with  the  exception  of  the  heads  of  the  three  disciples,  Matthew, 
Thaddeus,  and  Simon.  These  were  saved  by  the  public  indig- 
nation, which  became  so  great  when  the  full  extent  of  the 
mischief  wrought  by  Mazza  was  known,  that  the  prior  who  had 
authorized  it  had  to  be  banished  to  another  convent,  in  expiation 
of  his  vandalism.^  War  was  the  next  cause  of  ravage.  In 
1796,  when  Napoleon  Buonaparte  entered  Italy,  his  troops — 
in  spite,  it  would  seem,  of  an  express  order  to  the  contrary — 
turned  the  refectory  of  the  Dominican  convent  into  a  stable,  and 
even  amused  themselves,  it  is  said,  with  aiming  bricks  at  the 
heads  of  the  apostles  on  the  walls.  In  1800,  owing  to  an  over- 
flow of  the  canal  and  constant  rain,  the  refectory  was  again 
flooded,    and   remained   for   fifteen   days   nearly   under   water. 


^  He  laid  a  neutral  colour  over  the  whole,  in  order  to  lay  on  his  own  colour 
better.     Bombet,  "  Histoire  de  la  Peinture  en  Italie." 
2  Rio,  ''  De  I'Art  chretien." 


40  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI. 

After  this,  the  Last  Supper  remained  unheeded  until  Giuseppe 
Bossi,  the  Secretary  of  the  Academy,  called  the  attention  of 
Prince  Eugene,  then  Viceroy  of  Italy,  to  its  lamentable  con- 
dition. All  that  could  be  done  was  then  done.  The  refectory 
was  thoroughly  drained  and  repaired,  and  Bossi  was  commis- 
sioned by  the  prince  to  make  a  cartoon,  the  size  of  the  original, 
to  be  executed  in  mosaic.^ 

To  do  this,  he  found  himself  obliged,  like  Matteini,  who  drew 
the  cartoon  for  Raphael  Morghen's  celebrated  engraving,  to 
study  the  drawings  that  Leonardo  had  made  for  it,  and  the  older 
and  more  faithful  copies — to  recompose,  as  it  were,  the  picture  from 
these  materials,  rather  than  faithfully  to  copy  the  ruined  work  that 
still  bore  Leonardo's  name,  but  from  which  all  life  had  departed. 
L'Abb6  Guillon,  before  quoted,  places  '*  the  last  term  of  its  ruin 
at  the  commencement  of  the  eighteenth  century."  Taine,  in  his 
"  Voyage  en  Italie,"  speaking  of  the  church  of  Sta.  Maria  delle 
Grazie,  says  : — '*  Encore  n'est-ce  point  I'eglise  qu'on  va  voir, 
c'est   la  Cene   de    Leonard    de   Vinci   peinte    sur   un   mur   du 

refectoire,  et  a  vrai   dire  on  7ie  la  voit  pas Q^'y   a-t-il 

maintenant  de  Leonard  dans  cette  peinture  ?  Peut-etre  moins 
que  dans  le  carton  d'un  maitre  mis  en  tableau  par  des  eleves 
mediocres." 

This  was  written  in  1866,  after  its  last  restoration  in  1853  by 
Barozzi,  a  restoration  that  seems  to  have  led  to  the  belief  with 
many  critics  that  Leonardo's  work  is  not  so  utterly  lost  as  was 
imagined.  The  photographs  also  that  have  been  recently  taken 
foster  this  notion,  for  they  by  no  means  show  it  to  be  in  the 


*  This  mosaic  is  now  in  a  church  at  Vienna,  and  the  cartoon  in  the  Leuchten- 
berg  Gallery.  (Kugler.)  Besides  this,  Bossi  executed  a  copy  in  oils.  More 
important,  however,  than  these  copies  is  Bossi's  exhaustive  work  on  the  subject, 
"  Del  Cenacolo  di  Leonardo  da  Vinci,"  Milan,  18 10,  folio,  which  gives  a  detailed 
description  not  only  of  the  Last  Supper  itself,  but  of  all  the  copies  that 
elucidate  it. 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCI.  41 

ruinous  condition  described.  But  the  truth  is  these  photographs 
show  the  restored  work  of  the  restorers,  but  not  by  any  means 
the  restored  work  of  Leonardo. 

Of  this,  the  best  idea  that  can  now  be  gained  is,  I  beheve,  to 
be  got  from  Marco  Oggione's  early  and  faithful  copy,  now  in  the 
possession  of  the  Royal  Academy,  and  accessible  to  English 
students. 

This  copy,  of  which  all  early  writers  speak  in  terms  of  highest 
praise,  was  originally  painted  in  1510,  for  the  Certosa,  or 
Chartreuse  Convent  at  Pavia;  but  during  the  Revolution  it 
passed  into  France,  and  was  afterwards  offered  for  sale  in 
London,  and  bought  by  the  Royal  Academy  for  ^600.^ 

Oggione  painted  two  other  copies  besides  this,  one  of  reduced 
size  for  St.  Barnabas  at  Milan,  and  the  other  for  the  refectory  of 
a  Jesuit  convent  at  Castellazzo,  where  it  still  remains.  The 
Royal  Academy  copy,  which  is  here  reproduced,  has  never 
been  engraved  or  photographed  before. 

Many  other  copies  besides  these  were  made  from  Leonardo's 
Last  Supper.  Bernardino  Luini,  Leonardo's  greatest  scholar, 
repeated  it  several  times  with  more  or  less  variation ;  indeed,  its 
influence  extended  over  the  whole  Lombard  school,  and  even  to 
some  extent  over  the  Venetian ;  and  there  were  few  of  Leonardo's 
pupils  and  followers  who  did  not  in  one  way  or  another  perpetu- 
ate their  master's  great  creation.  Thus,  as  Fuller  says  of  the 
ashes  of  Wickliffe,  which,  "  being  cast  into  a  river,  were  by  this 
means,  like  his  doctrine,  dispersed  all  over  the  world ; "  so  Leo- 
nardo's Last  Supper,  though  early  doomed  to  destruction,  remains 
the  best  known  and  most  famous  picture  of  Christian  art.  We 
find  it  alike  in  rich  men's  palaces  and  poor  men's  cottages,  in 
splendid  mosaic  and  in  coarse  woodcut,  as  altarpiece  and  as  scrap- 
book  illustration.^ 

^  Waagen,  "  Treasures  of  Art." 

2  A  certain  Sir  W.  E.,  quoted  by  Bombet  in  his  "  Histoire  de  la  Peinture  en 


42  LIFE    OF   LEONARDO    DA     VINCL 

This  amazing  popularity,  according  to   Rio/  is  partly  due  to 

its  "■  prophetic  protestation  "  in  favour  of  the  dogma  of  transub- 

stantiation,  "le  dogme  gen^rateur  de  la  piet6  catholique;"  but 

no  one,  I  fancy,  except  such  an  ardent  Catholic  as   Rio,  would 

find  in  Leonardo's  simple  rendering  of  the  Gospel  narrative  any 

dogma  whatever.       In  all  his  works  he  seems  to  have   been 

wholly  free  from  theological   influence,   although,  on  the  other 

hand,  the  paganizing  spirit  of  his  age  had  little  dominion  over 

-       him.     His  art  was  neither  rationalistic  nor  ascetic,  but  united 

K|      the  two~"streams  of  thought  flowing  from  Christian  Byzantium 

anJ^agan  Rome,  the  spiritual  beauty  oTlhe  one  and  the  intel- 

\      lect  of  the  othen     This  we  see  especially  in  the  Last  Supper.^ 


Italic,"  mentions  having  come  across,  during  his  travels  on  the  Continent,  no  less 
than  forty  copies  of  it. 

^  "  De  I'Art  chretien." 

2  Those  who  desire  further  description  and  elucidative  criticism  of  Leonardo's 
greatest  work,  will  find  the  subject  fully  treated  in  the  work  before  quoted — "  Del 
Cenacolo  di  Leonardo  da  Vinci,"  by  Giuseppe  Bossi,  1810.  Almost  all  writers 
on  Leonardo,  from  Vasari  downwards,  have  indeed  expended  their  eloquence  in 
writing  of  this  work.  Any  remarks  of  mine,  therefore,  on  its  aesthetic  value, 
would  be  presumptuous ;  and  indeed,  as  stated  in  the  preface,  such  criticism  is 
beyond  the  scope  of  this  biography.  For  such  readers,  however,  who  may  have 
forgotten,  or  who  have  never  taken  the  trouble  to  individualize,  the  separate 
apostles,  I  give  the  following  list  of  their  names  as  usually  accepted. 

I.  Bartholomew  to  the  left  of  the  spectator,  rising  and  leaning  on  the  table. 
2.  James  the  Less,  with  his  right  hand  on  his  neighbour's  shoulder.  3.  Andrew, 
with  both  hands  held  up  in  sign  of  astonishment  4.  Peter,  with  a  dish  of  fish 
before  him,  and  a  knife,  in  allusion  to  his  cutting  off  the  ear  of  Mai  thus.  5.  Judas, 
with  the  money-bag  in  his  hand.  6.  John,  who  has  been  leaning  on  the  bosom  of 
Christ,  but  now  turns  in  sadness  away,  for  Peter  has  asked  him  the  name  of  the 
betraying  disciple,  and  he,  repeating  the  question  to  his  Master,  has  gained  the 
answer,  "  He  that  dippeth  his  hand  with  me  in  the  dish,  the  same  shall  betray 
me." 

On  the  right  of  Christ  is  7.  Thomas,  with  his  finger  uplifted,  as  if  to  menace 
Judas.  8.  James  the  Greater  seated  next  Christ,  on  the  right.  9.  Philip,  with 
his  hands  on  his  breast.  10.  Matthew,  turning  round  as  if  to  repeat  the  words  of 
Christ.     II.  Thaddeus.     12.  Simon. 


LIFE    OF    LEONARDO    DA     VINCL  43 

According  to  Paciolo,  Leonardo,  besides  working  at  the  "  Last 
Supper,"  was  engaged,  during  the  year  1497,  with  a  scheme  for 
the  navigation  of  the  Adda  between  Brizzio  and  Trezzo.  This 
gigantic  undertaking,  which,  on  account  of  the  rapidity  of  the 
river,  its  various  shoals  and  beds  of  rock,  presented  innumerable 
difficulties,  was  only  thoroughly  carried  out  at  a  later  date ;  but 
there  seems  little  doubt  that  Leonardo  at  this  time  planned  the 
canal  of  Martesana  and  the  supports  for  the  banks  of  the  stream, 
which  afterwards  made  its  navigation  practicable. 

A  list  of  drawings  of  the  same  year,  written  out  in  Leonardo's 
own  hand,  shows  him  busy  also  in  his  studio.  Amongst  these  we 
find — "  Four  Projects  for  a  Picture  of  St.  Angelo;"  "A  St.  Jerome 
for  a  Picture  ;"  ''  A  Head  of  the  Duke  ;"  ''  St.  Sebastian  ;"  "  A 
Head  of  Atalanta  regarding  the  Heavens  ;"  "A  Head  of  Gian 
Francesco  Borro  ;  "  "  Throats  of  Old  Women ; "  **  Heads  of  Old 
Men;"  *' Sketches  of  Young  Men  Naked;"  ''A  Finished 
Madonna ; "  "  Many  Arms,  Feet,  and  Legs,  and  the  different 
Movements  of  these  Limbs;"  "Our  Lady  ascending  to  Hea- 
ven ; "  "  An  Old  Man  with  a  Long  Chin ; "  and  many  other 
subjects/ 

.It  was  in  this  year  also  that  his  dear  disciple  and  "  son,"  as  he 
called  him,  the  beautiful  Salai  or  Salaino,  who  appears  to  have 
been  partly  servant  and  partly  friend,  is  first  mentioned.^  He  is 
described  by  Vasari  as  "  a  youth  of  singular  grace  and  beauty  of 
person,  with  curled  and  waving  hair,  a  feature  of  personal  beauty 
by  which  Leonardo  was  always  greatly  pleased."  Many  of  Leo- 
nardo's angels'  heads  were  painted,  it  is  supposed,  from  this 
Salai. 

Francesco  Melzi,  the  son  of  a  noble  Milanese  family,  was  like- 


'  Amoretti,  "Memorie  Storiche,"  page  79.     Copied  from  fol.  317. 
2  Mentioned  in  a  list  of  expenses  incurred  for  the  making  of  a  cloak  for  him. 
'*  La  Cappa  di  Salai,  addi  4  aprile  1497."     (Amoretti.) 


44  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL 

wise  one  of  Leonardo's  favourite  pupils  and  constant  companions. 
At  the  Melzi  Villa,  at  Vaprlo — a  beautiful  villa,  that  some  writers 
say  was  designed  by  Leonardo — he  often  sought  rest  and  refresh- 
ment of  spirit  in  the  society  of  the  Melzi  family,  by  whom  he 
seems  to  have  been  received  with  the  greatest  affection.  It  was 
here  that  he  retired  when  Milan  was  taken  by  the  French  in 
1499. 

But  before  the  storm  of  war  actually  burst  upon  Milan,  we  find 
that  Leonardo  was  suffering  from  its  approach.  The  duke,  in 
his  delight  at  securing  such  an  artist  as  Leonardo,  had,  in  the 
first  instance,  bestowed  upon  him  a  handsome  salary,^  which  we 
may  well  suppose,  however,  was  not  more  than  sufficient  for  the 
artist's  luxurious  requirements. 

Even  in  the  early  Florentine  time,  although  possessing  but  a 
small  patrimony,  he  had  lived,  we  are  told,  in  grand  style, 
"keeping  many  servants  and  horses,  in  which  he  took  great 
delight."  No  doubt  his  establishment  had  been  much  increased 
at  Milan.  Unlike  Michael  Angelo,  who  said  of  himself,  "  that 
rich  as  he  was,  he  had  always  lived  as  a  poor  man,"  Leonardo 
delighted  to  live  en  prince,  and  to  bestow  his  favours  with  lavish 
generosity.  It  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that  when  bad  times 
came  he  should  find  himself  embarrassed.  That  such  was  the 
case  is  proved  by  a  disjointed  fragment  of  a  letter,  apparently 
part  of  a  rough  draft,  quoted  by  Amoretti,^  in  which  he  says  that 
he  has  "  received  no  more  commissions.    .    .     The  prize  for  my 

services,  because  they  are  not  to  be Not  my  art  which 

I  wish  to  change  .  .  .  given  some  vestments Sir,  know- 

^  Gaspare  Bugati,  who  wrote  in  the  second  half  of  the  sixteenth  century,  says, 
in  his  "  Storia  Universale,"  that  Lodovico  gave  Leonardo  500  scudi  annually;  and 
Bandello,  in  the  58th  of  his  "Novelle,"  affirms  that  he  had  2,000  ducats  as  a 
salary  from  the  duke,  besides  presents  and  donations.  But  it  is  more  than 
probable  that  Bandello  exaggerated.     (Bossi,  Del  Cenacolo.) 

2  "  Memorie  Storiche,"  page  83,  note. 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI.  45 

ing  the  mind  of  your  Excellency  to  be  preoccupied  .  .  to  remind 
you  of  my  small  matters.  You  told  me  to  say  nothing  more,  but 
my  silence  may  have  caused  you  to  be  displeased  with  me.  .  .  . 
My  life  in  your  service.      I  find  myself  bound  to  obey  ...    Of 

the  horse  I  shall  say  nothing,  as  I  know  the  times So 

your  Excellency,  as  I  still  have  to  receive  salary  for  two  years. 
Two  masters  still  remain  with  me  with  salaries  and  expenses.  .  . 
But  at  last  I  find  myself  in  advance  of  the  said  work  about  1 5 
lire  mi  ...  .  works  of  fame  to  enable  me  to  show  that  I  am  .  . 
but  I  don't  know  how  I  am  to  pay  my  workmen  ....  to  have 
attained  to  gain  my  livelihood." 

It  was  probably  in  consequence  of  this  letter  that  the  duke  in 
1499,  shortly  before  his  fall,  bestowed  upon  Leonardo,  a  vineyard 
of  seventeen  perches,  pertiche  di  terra^  in  compensation,  perhaps, 
for  his  arrears  of  pay.^ 

This  gift,  says  Houssaye,  was  the  "  adieu  "  of  the  duke  to  his 
artist. 

In  1498,  Louis  XII.,  a  very  different  monarch  to  Charles 
VIII.,  succeeded  to  the  throne  of  France.  One  of  his  first  acts 
was  to  lay  claim,  as  the  grandson  of  a  Visconti,  to  the  duchy  of 
Milan,  and  to  enforce  his  claim  by  arms.  Lodovico  Sforza, 
abandoned  by  all  his  allies,  and  his  army  dispersed,  fled  from 
Milan  with  his  children  and  treasure  at  the  approach  of  the 
French  king,  who  entered  the  abandoned  city  without  opposition 
on  the  2nd  of  October,  1499.  Lodovico  made  a  futile  attempt 
in  the  following  year  to  regain  his  dominions,  but  being  betrayed 
by  his  army  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  French  general,  La 
Tremouille,  and  was  kept  in  close  captivity  at  Loches  until  the 
end  of  his  life,  ten  years  afterwards. 


*  G.  L.  Calvi,  "Notizie  dei  princip.  prof,  di  Belle  Arti."  Milan,  1869.  Archivio 
di  S.  Fedele  at  Milan.  The  deed  of  gift  of  this  vineyard  has  been  recently 
found,  and  is  given  at  length  in  UzieUi,  "  Ricerche." 


46  -  LIFE    OF   LEONARDO    DA     VINCI. 

Leonardo  during  these  events  took  refuge 'in  the  Melzi  Villa 
at  Vaprio,  where  in  accordance  with  the  calm,  philosophical 
maxim  that  we  find  inscribed  on  the  cover  of  one  of  his  manu- 
scripts— ''  Flee  from  Storms  " — he  waited  for  some  time  to  see 
the  turn  that  affairs  might  take ;  but  on  the  final  defeat  of  his 
patron,  he  with  his  friend  Luca  Paciolo,  and  his  favourite  Sala'i, 
set  out  to  return  to  Florence,  where  we  find  them  established 
early  in  1500.  This  is  proved  by  the  deposit  books  of  the 
Hospital  (Spedale)  of  Sta.  Maria  Nuova,  which  show  that,  less  im- 
provident than  might  be  supposed,  he  had  forwarded  to  Florence 
300  florins  on  the  14th  of  December,  1499,  by  letters  of  credit 
drawn  upon  Piero  di  Gino  Capponi,  and  on  the  same  day 
another  300  florins  drawn  upon  Taddeo  Gaddi.'  On  the  24th 
of  some  month  (probably  April)  in  1500,  he  withdrew  500  florins 
from  his  account  at  Sta.  Maria  Nuova,  being  at  that  time  in 
Florence.  He  could  not,  therefore,  as  Crowe  and  Cavalcaselle 
have  surmised,^  have  delayed  long  in  his  return  to  Florence 
after  leaving  Milan  ;  though  it  is  quite  possible — indeed,  it  would 
seem  to  be  proved  by  the  letter  quoted  by  these  historians,  from 
Lorenzo  de  Pavia  to  the  Marchioness  of  Mantua — that  he  was  in 
Venice  on  the  13th  of  March,  1500,  and  it  is  not  unlikely  that 
he  received  the  commission  whilst  there  to  paint  the  portrait  of 
the  Duchess  of  Mantua,  even  if  he  did  not  absolutely  paint  it  at 
that  time.^ 

When  Leonardo  da  Vinci  returned  to  Florence,  after  nineteen 

years'  absence,  he  found  it  still  bleeding  from  the  wounds  that 

the  struggles  of  factions,  ending  in  the  martyrdom  of  Savonarola 

th  1498,  had  inflicted.     The   Piagnoni  were  sad  and  dispirited. 

Baccio  della  Porta  had  entered  the  monastery  of  San  Marco, 


»  Uzielli,  "  Ricerche,"  Doc.  B.  x. 

2  See  "  Two  last  years  in  the  Life  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci,"  "  Academy,"  vol.  i. 

^  See  note,  page  15. 


LIFE    OF    LEONARDO    DA     VINCL 

and  had  not  as  yet  recommenced  painting  as  Fra  Bartolommeo  ; 
Lorenzo  di  Credi,  Leonardo's  fellow-pupil  under  Verrocchio,  had 
also  fallen  into  despondency.  Lorenzo  de'  Medici  was  dead,  and 
the  Medici  banished  ;  but  this  did  not  hinder  them  from  per- 
petually plotting  against  the  Republic,  which  was  menaced  by 
dangers  without  and  within,  although  by  some  wonderful  chance 
it  managed,  at  this  momentous  juncture,  to  maintain  peace  and 
freedom  when  almost  all  the  rest  of  Italy  was  enslaved  or 
at  war. 

Many,  indeed,  were  the  changes,  both  political  and  social,  that 
Leonardo  must  have  seen  when  he  once  more  took  up  his  abode 
in  his  native  city.  His  fame,  however,  had  long  been  fully 
established,  and  Florence  was  proud  to  welcome  him  back, 
although  Michael  Angelo,  who  was  a  child,  and  the  youthful 
Raphael,  who  was  not  even  born  when  he  left  the  city,  were 
already  in  the  field  against  him.  Perugino,  his  old  friend  and 
fellow-pupil ;  Botticelli,  whom  he  speaks  of  in  the  "  Trattato " 
as  his  friend,  Filippino  Lippi,  the  Bolognese  Francia,  Luca 
Signorelli,  and  several  other  men,  had  also  acquired  a  reputation 
in  his  absence ;  yet  Leonardo  seems  to  have  been  readily 
admitted,  even  by  the  artists  themselves,  as  the  greatest  master 
of  them  all.  Only  with  Michael  Angelo  could  rivalry  be 
imagined,  for  the  modest  young  Raphael,  when  he  came  to 
Florence  to  see  Leonardo's  work,  never  dreamt  of  rivalling,  only 
of  imitating  the  great  master,  which  he  did  most  successfully,  as 
we  see  in  several  of  his  Madonnas  of  this  period. 

There  seems  no  reason  to  discredit  Paciolo's  statement,  that 
when  he  and  Leonardo  returned  to  Florence  together  in  1500, 
they  continued  to  share  the  same  abode,  as  they  had  done  in 
Milan  during  the  last  three  years  of  their  stay.^ 


*  See   Gaye,  "  Carteggio,"  and  " Kunstblatt,"   1836.     "Leonardo  da  Vinci, 
fiorentino,  nella  cit^  de  Milano  quandi  ali  stipendii  dello  Excellentissimo  Duca  di 


48  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL 

Paciolo  had  written  his  book  before  this  time,  and  Leonardo 
had  probably  made  the  drawings  for  it ;  but  the  book  itself  was 
not  published  until  1 509,  when  Lodovico  having  fallen,  it  was 
finally  dedicated  to  Soderini,  then  Gonfalonier  of  Florence. 

Leonardo's  first  commission  in  Florence  was  one  that  had 
been  previously  given  to  Filippino  Lippi.  It  was  for  an  altarpiece 
in  the  church  of  the  Servites.  ''  Filippino,"  says  Vasari,  "  like 
the  amiable  man  {gentil  persona)  that  he  was,  withdrew  at  once 
when  he  found  that  Leonardo  would  undertake  the  work ;"  and 
the  monks  took  Leonardo  and  his  household  into  the  convent, 
supplying  all  expenses  while  the  picture  was  in  progress.  But 
Leonardo,  after  his  usual  style,  kept  them  a  long  time  without 
doing  anything.  *'  At  length,  however,  he  prepared  a  cartoon, 
with  the  Madonna,  St.  Anna,  and  the  Infant  Christ,  so  admir- 
ably depicted,  that  it  not  only  caused  astonishment  in  every 
artist  who  saw  it ;  but  when  finished,  the  chamber  wherein  it 
stood  was  crowded  for  two  days  by  men  and  women,  old  and 
young,  as  if  going  to  a  solemn  festival,  all  hastening  to  behold 
this  marvel  of  Leonardo's,  which  amazed  the  whole  population."' 

The  cartoon  in  which  the  Florentines  took  so  much  interest  is 
the  one  that  is  now  in  the  Royal  Academy,  and  that  many 
readers  may  remember  to  have  seen  in  the  first  exhibition  of  old 
masters  at  Burlington  House.^ 

The  cartoon  was  all  that  the  Servites  could  get  from  Leo- 
nardo, whose  impatient  genius  loved,  as  we  know,  to  conceive 
rather  than  to  execute,  and  they  were,  .after  all,  obliged  to  apply 


quelle  Lodovico  Maria  Sforza,  1496,  fino  al  99,  donde  poi  da  siemi  per  diversi 
sucessi  in  quelle  parti  ci  partemmo  e  a  Firenze  pur  insiemi  traemmo  domicilio." 
— Divina  Proportione. 

'  Vasari,  "  Vita  di  Leonardo  da  Vinci." 

2  It  was  taken  with  him  by  Leonardo  to  France,  but  was  afterwards  restored  to 
Italy,  and  was  at  one  time  in  the  possession  of  Aurelio  Luini,  son  of  the  painter 
Bernardino  Luini. 


THE  VIRGIN    SEATED   IN   THE  LAP   OF   SAINT    ANNE. 
From  the  Cartoon  in  the  Royal  Academy ^  London. 


^ 


LII^E    OF  LEONARDO   DA    VINCI.  49 

to  Filippino  LIppI  to  paint  their  altar-piece.  He,  however,  died 
before  it  could  be  finished,  and  it  was  finally  accomplished  by 
Perugino. 

The  lovely  group  of  St.  Anna  and  the  Virgin  and  Child,  in 
this  cartoon,  seems  to  have  been  a  favourite  conception  with 
Leonardo ;  we  find  it  with  variations  in  several  of  his  drawings, 
and  the  charming  St.  Anne  and  Virgin  of  the  Louvre,  the  best 
known  of  all  the  repetitions  of  it,  if  not  by  him,  was  undoubtedly 
painted  by  one  of  his  pupils  from  his  design. 

Besides  this  commission  from  the  Servites,  we  find  Leonardo 
occupied  with  the  portraits  of  two  noble  Florentine  ladies, 
whose  beauty  (fortunately  handed  down  to  us)  was  highly 
extolled  by  their  contemporaries.  One  of  these  was  the  lovely 
and  modest  Ginevra  Benci,  daughter  of  Amerigo  Benci,  whose 
exquisite  grace  still  charms  us  in  two  of  Ghirlandaio's  frescoes  in 
the  Sassetti  Chapel/  Unfortunately,  there  hangs  considerable 
doubt  over  Leonardo's  portrait  of  this  celebrated  beauty.  It  is 
said  to  be  the  picture  formerly  in  the  Niccolini  Gallery,  and  now  in 
the  Pitti  Palace  ;  but  when  one  thinks  of  the  Mona  Lisa,  painted 
about  the  same  time,  one  finds  it  impossible  to  accept  the  picture 
of  the  Pitti  as  the  "  cosa  bellissima"  spoken  of  by  Vasari. 

But  if  there  be  a  doubt  about  the  Ginevra  Benci,  no  shadow  of 
critical  suspicion  has  ever  fallen  on  the  supreme  Mona  Lisa, 
"  La  Joconde,"  of  the  Louvre.  Critics  have  indeed  well-nigh 
exhausted  themselves  in  admiration  of  this  work.  One  of  the 
latest^  thus  writes  of  it  in  words  that  seem  set  to  it,  like  the 
verses  of  a  poet  to  the  music  of  a  great  composer.  "  La 
Gioconda  is  in  the  truest  sense  Leonardo's  masterpiece,  the 
revealing  instance  of  his  mode  of  thought  and  work.  In  sugges- 
tiveness  only^the  Melancholia  of  Dlirer  is  comparable  to  it,  and  ) 

^  In  the  Visitation  and  the  Nativity  of  the  Virgin. 
2  ^f^^  YL.  Pater,  "  Studies  in  the  History  of  the  Renaissance." 

£ 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA    VINCL 

no   crude   symbolism   disturbs    the    effect   of   its    subdued   and 
graceful    mystery.      We   all    know   the   face  and  hands  of  the 
figure  set  in  its  marble  chair  in  that  cirque  of  fantastic  rocks,  as 
in  some   faint   light   under  the   sea.      Perhaps   of  all   ancient 
pictures  time  has  chilled  it  least.     From  childhood  we  see  this 
image  defining  itself  on  the  fabric  of  his  dreams ;  and  but  for 
express  historical  testimony,  we  might  fancy  that  this  was  but 
his  ideal  lady,    embodied  and  beheld  at  last.      What  was  the 
relationship    of  a   living    Florentine    to    this    creature    of    his 
thoughts  ?     By  what  strange  affinities  had  she  and  the  dream 
grown  thus  apart,  yet  so  closely  together  ?     Present  from  the 
first,  incorporeal  in  Leonardo's   thought,    dimly   traced   in  the 
designs  of  Verrocchio,  she  is  found  present  at  last  in  II  Gio- 
condo's  house.     That  there  is  much  of  mere  portraiture  in  the 
picture  is  attested  by  the  legend  that  by  artificial  means,  the 
presence  of  mimes  and  flute-players,  that  subtle  expression  was 
protracted  on  the  face.      Again,   was  it   in  four  years  and  by 
renewed  labour  never  really  completed,  or  in  four  months  and 
as  by  stroke  of  magic,  that  the  image  was  projected  ?     The 
presence  that  thus  so  strangely  rose  beside  the  waters  is  expres- 
sive of  what  in  the  ways  of  a  thousand  years  man  had  come  to 
desire.     Hers  is  the  head  upon  which  all  '  the  ends  of  the  earth 
are  come,'  and  the  eyelids  are  a  little  weary.      It  is  a  beauty 
wrought  out  from  within  upon  the  flesh,  the  deposit,  little  cell  by 
cell,  of  strange   thoughts   and  fantastic  reveries  and  exquisite 
passions.     Set  it  for  a  moment  beside  one  of  those  white  Greek 
goddesses  or  beautiful  women  of  antiquity,  and  how  would  they 
be  troubled  by  this  beauty,  into  which  the  soul   with   all   its 
maladies  has  passed  ?     All  the  thoughts  and  experience  of  the 
world  have  etched  and  moulded  therein  that  which  they  have  of 
power   to   refine  and  make  expressive   the  outward  form,  the 
animalism   of  Greece,   the   lust  of   Rome,  the  reverie    of  the 
middle-age,  with  its  spiritual  ambition  and  imaginative  loves, 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCL  51 

the  return  of  the  pagan  world,  the  sins  of  the  Borglas.  She  is 
older  than  the  rocks  among  which  she  sits ;  like  the  vampire, 
she  has  been  dead  many  times,  and  learned  the  secret  of  the 
grave  ;  and  has  been  a  diver  in  deep  seas,  and  keeps  their 
fallen  day  about  her;  and  trafficked  for  strange  webs  with 
Eastern  merchants ;  and,  as  Leda,  was  the  mother  of  Helen  of 
Troy,  and,  as  Saint  Anne,  the  mother  of  Mary ;  and  all  this  has 
been  to  her  but  as  the  sound  of  lyres  and  flutes,  and  lives  only 
in  the  delicacy  with  which  it  has  moulded  the  changing  linea- 
ments and  tinged  the  eyelids  and  the  hands.  The  fancy  of  a 
perpetual  life,  sweeping  together  ten  thousand  experiences,  is 
an  old  one ;  and  modern  thought  has  conceived  the  idea  of 
humanity  as  wrought  upon  by,  and  summing  up  in  itself,  all 
modes  of  thought  and  life.  Certainly  Lady  Lisa  might  stand 
as  the  embodiment  of  the  old  fancy,  the  symbol  of  the  modern 
idea." 

Many  romances  have  been  framed  concerning  this  mysterious 
Mona  Lisa,  this  ''  vampire  "  with  the  "  ineffable  smile."  Was 
the  painter  in  love  with  the  beauty  he  painted  ?  Many  writers 
imagine  so,  who  think,  as  they  do  also  with\Raphaers  Fornarina, 
that  only  love  could  have  produced  so  perfect  a  work.  But,  as 
Pater  hints,  Leonardo  seems  to  have  had  a  presentiment,  an 
''  Ahnung,"  as  the  Germans  call  it,  of  this  supreme  beauty  long 
before  he  painted  her  actual  portrait ;  and  probably  all  the  mys- 
tery and  glamour  of  that  wonderful  likeness  was  given  by  the 
painter's  own  imagination.  Seen  in  the  light  of  common  day, 
by  an  ordinary  portrait  painter,  she  would  have  been  represented 
as  a  beautiful  woman  and  nothing  more ;  but  seen  in  the  light  of 
a  painter's  fancy,  she  is  presented  to  us  as  a  sweet  but  perplexing 
poem. 

Leonardo,  as  before  stated,  was  four  years  over  this  portrait, 
and  then,  in  his  own  estimation,  left  it  imperfect.  In  order  to 
preserve  that  smiling  expression,  "  he  took  the  precaution,"  says 


52  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCl. 

Vasari,  "  of  keeping  some  one  at  hand  while  she  was  sitting,  to 

sing  or  play  on  instruments,  or  to  jest  and  otherwise  amuse  her." 

The  smile  of  Mona  Lisa,  however,  was  never  produced  by  a  jest. 

lit  is  the  painter's  smile,  and  not  the  sitter's. \    Its  *'  ten  thousand 

experiences"  are  his,  and  are  all  summed  up  in  the  words  of  the 

preacher,  "  Vanitas  vanitatum." 

y/^  Francesco  del  Giocondo,  the  husband^  of  Mona  Lisa,  does  not 

■       seem  to  have  commissioned  this  portrait ;  at  least,  it  remained 

with  the  painter  until  he  sold  it  to  the  French  king  for  4,000 

gold  crowns,  an  enormous  sum  at  that  time.^ 

In  1502  Leonardo  was  appointed  by  Caesar  Borgia,  who  was 
aF~that  time  hoping  to  found  an  ^Italian  kingdom,  his  architect 
and  general  engineer.  In  this  capacity  he  travelled  through 
Romagna  (of  which  state  Csesar  Borgia  had  been  created  Duke 
by  his  father,  the  detestable  Pope  Alexander)  and  Urbino,  de- 
signing fortresses,  machines  of  war,  and,  in  general,  surveying  all 
the  strong  places  in  Borgia's  acquired  dominions.  In  his  manu- 
scripts, and  scattered  among  his  drawings,  have  been  found 
many  allusions  to  this  journey.  For  instance,  on  the  30th  July, 
1502,  he  mentions  being  at  Urbino,  and  designing  "a  dove-cot, 
a  staircase,  and  several  ramparts  to  the  citadel."  On  the  ist  of 
August  he  is  at  Pesaro,  making  sketches  for  various  machines ; 
on  the  8th,  at  Rimini,  where  he  notices  the  harmonious  sound  of 
the  water  of  a  fountain ;  on  the  i  ith,  at  Cesena,  designing  a 
house  and  a  waggon  for  the  better  means  of  transport  of  the 

*  It  has  been  discovered  that  she  was  his  third  wife,  so  he  could  not  have  been 
very  young. 

^  The  picture  has  been  supposed  to  be  one  of  the  two  to  which  Leonardo  alludes 
in  the  following  passage  of  his  letter  to  Marshal  de  Chaumont: — 

"  E  portare  con  mecho  due  quadri  di  due  Nosstre  Donne  di  varie  grandezze  le 
quale  son  fatte  pel  cristianissimo  nostro  re." 

As,  however,  these  pictures  were  clearly  painted  for  the  French  king,  it  appears 
quite  as  likely  that  they  were  Madonna  pictures  as  that  they  were  portraits  of 
Florentine  beauties,  especially  as  ''  Nosstre  Donne  "  is  written  with  capitals. 


LIFE    OF   LEONARDO   DA    VINCL  53 

grapes ;  and  on  the  6th  of  September  he  designs  the  Port  of 
Cesenatlco.  After  this  he  travels  through  Imola,  Faenza,  and 
ForH,  and  thence  by  Bologna  to  Florence,  from  whence  he  agam 
sets  forth  for  another  excursion  towards  the  south,  by  Chiusi, 
Perouse  and  Foligno.  At  Siena,  he  studies  and  describes  a 
curious  sort  of  clock,  and  at  Piombino  is  struck  by  the  regular 
cadence  of  the  .waves  beating  on  the  sea-shore. 

Thus,  with  a  mind  still  open  to  the  teachings  of  Nature,  we  find 
him  everiearning  and  ever  inventing.  The  falling  waters  of  a 
fountain,  the  harmonies  of  the  waves,  set  him  thinking  of  the 
forces  by  which  their  movement  is  governed,  and  lead  to  the  spe- 
culations on  the  subjects  that  we  find  in  several  of  his  treatises. 

As  Caesar  Borgia  had  no  employment  for  Leonardo's  artistic 
powers,  his  mind  being  entirely  occupied  with  his  great  military 
schemes,  it  is  fortunate  perhaps  that  Leonardo  did  not  remain 
long  in  his  service.  In  the  August  of  1503,  Alexander  VL  and 
his  son  Caesar  accidentally  drank  of  some  poisoned  wine  that 
they  had  prepared  for  one  of  their  guests.  The  father  died,  and 
the  son,  when  he  at  last  recovered  from  its  effects,  found  that 
Julius  IL,  the  new  Pope,  was  prepared  to  counteract  his  ambi- 
tious projects.  Very  soon  he  lost  all  his  sovereignties,  and, 
passing  into  Spain,  no  longer  needed  a  military  engineer. 

By  the  25th  of  January,  1503,  Leonardo  must  have  been  back 
in  Florence,  for  he  was  then  elected  with  other  artists  to  give 
his  opinion  as  to  the  fitting  position  in  which  to  place  Michael 
Angelo's  gigantic  statue  of  David.  On  the  4th  of  March  and  the 
14th  of  June  of  the  same  year  he  drew  out  another  fifty  florins 
from  the  Spedale;  and  on  the  24th  of  July  he  was  appointed 
by  the  Balia  of  Florence  to  go  to  the  camp  below  Pisa,  to  con- 
sider the  project  of  the  deviation  of  the  waters  of  the  Arno,  for 
the  defence  of  the  hill  from  the  attacks  of  the  enemy.  In  October 
we  find  his  name  inscribed  in  tlie'  red  book  of  the  Company  of 
Painters ;  and  on  the  ist  of  September  and  the  2ist  of  Novem- 


54  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL 

ber  he  again  drew  out  his  favourite  sum  of  fifty  florins  from  the 
Spedale  of  S.  Maria  Nuova/ 

About  the  end  of  1503,  or  beginning  of  1504,  Leonardo  went 
to  Rome,^  and  it  is  probable  that  during  his  stay  there  at  this 
time  he  executed  the  much  disputed  Virgin  and  Child,  with 
donor,  of  the  Cloister  of  St.  Onuphrius.^  But  on  the  27th  of 
April  he  was  again  back  in  Florence,  as  we  find  from  the  cus- 
tomary withdrawal  of  fifty  florins  from  his  account. 

It  was  perhaps  to  atone  for  past  neglect  that  the  government 
of  Florence  now  determined  to  entrust  Leonardo  with  a  great 
work.  Pietro  Soderini,  who  had  been  elected  Gonfalonier  for 
life,  in  1 502,  was  Leonardo's  friend ;  and  when  it  was  determined 
that  the  walls  of  the  hall  in  which  the  Grand  Council  of  Florence 
met  should  be  covered  with  paintings,  it  was  probably  he  who 
suggested  that  Leonardo  should  be  employed  for  that  purpose. 
At  all  events,  early  in  1504  we  find  that  Leonardo  received  an 
order  to  paint  one  wall  of  the  Great  Ha'll  of  the  Palazzo  Vecchio, 
while  to  Michael  Angelo,  whose  David  had  already  crowned  him 
with. fame,  was  assigned  the  other. 

With  this  commission  began  the  rivalry  of  the  two  great 
artists  of  Florence — a  rivalry  that  it  is  to  be  feared  was  fostered 
into  jealousy  at  last ;  but  more  from  the  strong  party  feeling  of 
their  followers,  we  may  hope,  than  from  any  unworthy  motives  in 
the  masters  themselves. 

Michael  Angelo,  as  all  know,  chose  for  his  subject  an  incident 
in  the  Pisan  campaign,  and  represented  a  group  of  Florentine 
soldiers  surprised  by  the  enemy  while  bathing  in  the  Arno, — a 


^  See  Document  B.  X.  and  XI.  printed  in  Uzielli  •'  Ricerche  intorno  Leonardo 
da  Vinci." 

^  Gaye,  "  Carteggio,"  vol.  ii.  89.  Uzielli  also  proves  this  journey  by  the  record 
of  a  payment  made  by  Leonardo. 

^  This  being  painted  in  fresco,  has  lasted  far  better  than  his  other  wall  paint- 
ing, the  Last  Supper.     It  is  the  only  composition  of  the  kind  ascribed  to  him. 


#: 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCL  55 

scene  that  gave  him  full  opportunity  for  displaying  his  wonderful 
knowledge  of  the  naked  human  form. 

Leonardo,  on  the  other  hand,  who,  as  we  have  seen,  had  espe- 
cially studied  the  anatomy  and  character  of  the  horse,  depicted, 
in  the  most  masterly  manner,  a  troop  of  horsemen  fighting  round 
a  standard.  Fighting,  indeed,  seems  almost  too  tame  a  word. 
They  are  raging  like  wild  beasts  at  bay  rather  than  men. 
Horses  and  warriors  struggle  together  in  indistinguishable  con- 
fusion. Men  in  strange  armour  grapple  with  each  other  in 
deadly  combat ;  all  are  animated  by  the  fearful  lust  for  blood. 

Such,  at  least,  is  what  we  see  in  the  celebrated  copy,  preserved 
to  us  by  Rubens,  of  the  central  group  of  the  great  cartoon  ;  but 
we  know  not  how  much  of  his  own  spirit  Rubens  may  have 
infused  into  it,  for  the  scene  was  one  after  his  own  heart,  and  he 
may  possibly,  as  in  his  rendering  of  the  Last  Supper,  to  which  he 
has  given  an  entirely  Flemish  character,  have  so  Rubenized  the 
original,  that  Leonardo  would  not  know  it  for  his  own  work. 
Still,  whether  by  Rubens  or  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  The  Battle  of 
the  Standard,  as  it  is  called,  is  a  magnificent  work,  worthy  of  the 
reputation  of  both  masters.^ 

During  the  time  that  Leonardo  was  engaged  on  his  cartoon, 
the  so-called  Hall  of  the  Pope,  in  S.  Maria  Novella,  was  assigned 
to  him  as  a  workshop,  while  Michael  Angelo  worked  in  the  hall 
of  the  Hospital  of  the  Dyers  at  S.  Onofrio.^ 

But  Leonardo,  as  usual,  delayed  over  his  work ;  and  it  was 
not  until  the  end  of  1506  that  the  rival  cartoons  were  finally  laid 
before  the  Signory  and  publicly  exhibited  in  Florence. 

Great  was  the  excitement  and  vehement  the  discussions  in  art- 
loving  Florence  about  the  respective  merits  of  these  two  great 
works.     Every  artist  took  part  with  one  or  the  other  master. 

^  It  has  been  very  effectively  engraved  by  Edelinck. 
2  Grimm,  "  Life  of  Michael  Angelo." 


56  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCL 

**  It  was,"  says  Houssaye,  "  une  lutte  de  Titans  " — a  "  duel  au 
crayon"  between  Leonardo  and  Michael  Angelo/ 

The  young  Raphael  was  a  looker-on  at  the  duel,  for,  attracted 
perhaps  by  this  very  contest,  he  had  returned  to  Florence  in  this 
year.  His  warm  admiration  of  Leonardo  was  untinged  by  any 
jealousy ;  in  truth,  at  this  time  no  rivalry  could  have  existed 
between  them,  Raphael's  powers  not  having  yet  developed. 

Vasari  tells  us  that  Leonardo  designed  an  elaborate  scaffolding, 
to  be  used  in  the  execution  of  his  cartoon,  that  could  be  increased 
in  height  by  being  drawn  together,  or  rendered  wider  by  being 
lowered.  All  was  indeed  ready  for  beginning  the  painting ; 
but  as  in  the  Last  Supper,  he  made  the  fatal  mistake  of  using 
oils  instead  of  fresco.  After  he  had  prepared  the  ground,  he 
found  the  colours  sink  into  it  to  such  a  degree  that  he  was 
obliged  to  abandon  this  mode  of  execution,  and  he  never 
attempted  any  other.  Thus  the  wall-painting  of  the  Palazzo 
Vecchio,  begun  with  so  much  ardour,  was  left  unachieved,  like 
so  many  other  of  Leonardo's  great  works.  He  was  content  with 
having  conceived  \t? 

But  Soderini  and  the  people  of  Florence  were  by  no  means 
content,  and  he  was  reproached  with  having  deceived  them,  and 

*  So  long  as  these  celebrated  cartoons  were  in  existence,  they  remained,  as 
Benvenuto  Cellini  affirms,  "  a  school  for  the  world ;"  but  unfortunately  both 
quickly  perished.  Michael  Angelo's,  it  is  said,  was  cut  in  pieces,  though  the 
story  of  this  having  been  done  by  Bandinelli,  through  jealousy,  is  unworthy  of 
credit.  Only  a  small  copy,  and  the  well-kno^^^l  group  engraved  by  Marc  Antonio, 
remain  to  tell  us  what  it  must  have  been.  Leonardo's  was  destroyed  even  sooner, 
but  it  is  not  known  how. 

2  In  one  of  his  manuscripts  we  find  the  history  of  the  Battle  of  Anghiara,  and 
his  plan  for  representing  it  in  painting,  written  out  in  his  own  hand,  with  the 
names  of  all  the  chiefs  engaged.  In  the  "Trattato"  also  he  gives  directions 
"  How  to  compose  a  battle,"  and  says,  "  that  some  may  appear  disarmed  and 
beaten  down  by  the  enemy,  but  still  fighting  with  their  fists  and  teeth,  and 
endeavouring  to  take  a  passionate  though  unavailing  revenge.  ...  A  wounded 
soldier  may  also  be  seen  falling  to  the  ground  and  attempting  to  cover  himself 


LIFE    OF   LEONARDO   DA     VINCL  57 

having  received  money  for  that  which  he  had  not  accomplished. 
His  high  spirit  could  not  brook  this  insinuation,  and  he  at  once 
by  the  help  of  his  friends  collected  the  sum  that  he  had  already 
received,  and  took  the  money  back  to  Soderini,  who,  however, 
refused  to  accept  it.  Before  this,  Vasari  relates  that  being 
offended  at  Soderini's  treasurer  paying  him  a  certain  amount  that 
he  had  to  receive  from  him  in  copper  money,  he  refused  it,  saying 
he  was  "  no  penny  painter  : "  lo  non  sono  dipintore  da  quattrini. 

This  business  of  the  cartoon  and  other  irritations,  one  of 
which  we  may  assume  to  have  been  the  failure  of  his  project 
for  diverting  the  course  of  the  Arno,  which  had  been  tried  at  an 
enormous  expense,  no  doubt  made  a  residence  in  Florence  at 
this  time  anything  but  agreeable  to  the  magnificent  Leonardo, 
who  having  been  first  in  Milan,  was  ill  disposed,  as  we  may 
imagine,  to  see  younger  men  aspiring  to  equal  honours  in  his 
native  city.  He  was  now  fifty-four  years  of  age,  and  desired, 
perhaps,  to  reap  the  fruits  of  his  former  achievements  rather 
than  to  toil  for  fresh  laurels. 

Besides,  his  father,  to  be  near  whom  in  his  old  age  may  have 
been  one  of  his  chief  inducements  to  return  to  Florence,  had 
died  in  1 504,  ^  so  that  there  could  have  been  no  family  ties  to 
detain  him,  except  those  existing  between  him  and  the  ten  sons 
and  two  daughters  of  Ser  Piero,  five  of  whom  were  children  of 


with  his  shield,  while  an  enemy  bending  over  him  endeavours  to  give  him  the 
finishing  stroke."  Leonardo  evidently  followed  his  own  instructions  in  the 
painting  of  this  battle-piece.  The  Battle  of  Anghiara  was  not  in  reality  a  very 
terrible  affair,  for  we  learn  from  Machiavelli  that  there  was  only  one  man  killed 
in  it.     ("  Machiavelli,"  book  v.) 

^  Leonardo  has  left  a  record  of  this  event  in  one  of  his  manuscripts  in  the 
British  Museum: — "Addi  9.  di  luglo  1504,  en  mercholedi  a  ore  7  mori  Ser 
Piero  Davinci  notaio  al  palagio  della  potest^,  mio  padre  a  ore  7.  Era  di  etk  d'  anni 
80.  Lascib  10  figloli  masscj  et  2  femjne."  MSS.  vol.  N.  f.  70.  "Mathematical 
Notes "  in  Brit.  Mus.  The  old  man,  however,  was  not  80,  but  only  7  7,  when 
he  died. 


S8  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA    VINCL 

the  fourth  wife,  and  must  have  been  born  during  Leonardo's 
sojourn  in  Lombardy.  It  would  seem,  besides,  from  a  subse- 
quent lawsuit,  in  which  Leonardo  disputed  his  father  s  inheri- 
tance, that  the  ten  lawful  children  were  not  disposed  to  recog- 
nize the  illegitimate  one  as  belonging  to  the  family,  although 
Ser  Piero  always  did  so. 

All  these  circumstances  taken  together,  it  is  not  surprising 
that  Leonardo  should  have  looked  back  with  regret  to  the 
pleasant  days  in  Milan,  and  that  on  receiving  an  invitation  from 
the  Mardchal  de  Chaumont,  the  French  governor  of  Milan,  he 
should  have  once  more  returned  to  his  adopted  city  and  his 
many  friends,  although  it  had  passed  in  his  absence  into  the 
hands  of  a  new  master. 

This  new  master,  Louis  XIL,  was  far  less  of  a  tyrant  than 
the  native  dukes,  both  Viscontis  and  Sforzas,  had  been.  He 
was  extremely  anxious  to  conciliate  his  new  subjects,  and  the 
governor  he  set  over  them  was,  perhaps,  the  best  whom  he 
could  have  found  for  his  purpose.^ 

On  his  return  to  Milan,  therefore,  which  was  probably  about 
the  close  of  1 506,  Leonardo  found  everything  proceeding  in  the 
old  way,  only  under  a  new  regime.  The  building  of  the 
cathedral  had  recommenced,  the  canal  of  Martesana  was  being 
continued,  and  everything  wore  a  look  of  prosperity  under  a 
king  who  had  acquired  the  name  of  "  Pere  du  Peuple." 

Leonardo  himself  was  warmly  welcomed  and  appreciated  by 
De  Chaumont,  and  would  no  doubt  have  willingly  taken  up  his 
abode  once  more  in  his  adopted  city,  but  he  could  not  now  do 
this,  for  he  was  still  in  the  service  of  the  Signory  of  Florence, 
and  before  long  he  was  reminded  of  his  duties  and  desired  to 
return. 

^  Charles  d'Amboise  Mardchal  de  Chaumont,  is  spoken  of  by  the  historian 
M^zeray  as  "just  and  prudent,  courteous  to  gentlemen  and  gracious  to  the 
people,  but  very  exact  in  all  things." 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCL  59 

But  Louis  XII,  who  seems  to  have  been  an  intelligent  patron 
of  art,  was  by  no  means  minded  to  let  such  a  painter  as 
Leonardo  go.  He  had  heard,  it  would  seem,  of  his  return  to 
Milan,  and  having  seen  some  of  his  works,  was  desirous,  as  we 
find  from  a  conversation  reported  by  Francesco  Pandolfini,  the 
ambassador  of  the  Republic  of  Florence  at  the  Court  of  France, 
to  retain  him  in  his  service.  Pandolfini  writes  as  follows  : — 
"  Blois,  22  January,  1507.  Finding  myself  this  morning  in  the 
presence  of  the  most  Christian  King,  his  Majesty  called  me  and 
said, '  Your  lords  must  do  me  a  service.  Write  to  them  that  I  de- 
sire to  make  use  of  their  painter.  Master  Leonardo,  who  is  now 
at  Milan,  and  that  I  wish  him  to  do  certain  things  for  me.  Do 
this  in  such  a  way  that  their  lordships  enjoin  him  to  serve  me 
promptly,  and  tell  him  not  to  depart  from  Milan  before  my 
arrival.  He  is  a  good  master,  and  I  desire  certain  things  by  his 
hand.  Write  to  Florence  at  once,  and  in  such  a  way  as  to 
obtain  the  desired  result,  and  send  me  the  letter.'  .  .  .  All  this," 
adds  Pandolfini,  ''came  from  a  little  painting  by  his  hand  that  has 
recently  been  brought  here,  and  which  is  judged  to  be  a  very 
excellent  work.  In  the  course  of  conversation  I  asked  his 
Majesty  what  works  he  desired  from  him,  and  he  answered, 
*  Certain  small  pictures  of  Our  Lady  and  others,  according  as  the 
idea  occurs  to  me ;  perhaps  also  I  shall  get  him  to  paint  my 
portrait.' "  ^ 

De  Chaumont  also,  who  fully  recognized  Leonardo's  value, 
and  who  soon  acquired  a  real  friendship  for  him,  appears  to 
have  written  at  this  time  to  his  friend  Piero  Soderini,  to  beg  him 
to  permit  of  Leonardo's  longer  sojourn  in  Milan. ^ 

Nevertheless,  not  at  the  insistance  of  the  Signory,  but,  as  it 
would  seem,  for  his  own  private  matters,  Leonardo  returned  for 
a  short  time  to  Florence  in   1507.      His  uncle,  Francesco   da 

^  Gaye,  "  Carteggio,"  vol.  ii.  95.  2  j^^j^j^ 


6o  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCL 

Vinci,  had  died  in  this  year,  and  Leonardo  claimed  part  in  his 
estate,  as  well  as  in  that  of  his  father,  who  had  died  without  a 
will,  as  before  stated,  in  1 504.  Arriving  in  Florence,  he  found 
his  brothers  prepared  to  contest  his  claims. 

He  brought  with  him  the  following  letter  from  De  Chaumont 
to  the  Signory,  that  would  seem  to  be  not  only  meant  to  urge  his 
claims  of  inheritance,  but  also  to  expedite  his  return  to  Milan, 
in  case  their  lordships  should  be  inclined  to  detain  him  in 
Florence/ 

"  Most  Excellent  Sirs, — 

"  There  has  come  to  you  maestro  Leonardo  Vinci,  a 
painter  of  the  most  Christian  King,  to  whom  with  much  diffi- 
culty we  have  granted  leave  ;  he  being  engaged  to  paint  a  picture 
for  His  Majesty,  is  anxious  to  settle  certain  differences  which 
have  taken  place  between  him  and  some  of  his  brothers 
respecting  an  inheritance  left  him  by  an  uncle.  For  which 
reason,  in  order  that  the  said  Leonardo  may  return  quickly  to 
finish  the  work  he  has  begun,  we  beg  your  ExcelF^^  to  be  good 
enough  to  despatch  him  quickly,  and  let  his  cause  be  despatched, 
affording  him  all  just  help  and  favour,  and  your  ExcelP^^  will  do 
a  pleasure  to  the  most  Christian  King  and  to  us  who  recom- 
mend ourselves  to  you. 

**  Given  at  Milan,  15th  August,  1507. 

**  Your  servant, 

"  D'Amboyze. 
"  Lieutenant  General  in  the  dominions 

on  this  side  the  Alps,  great  Master 

and  Marshal  of  France." 

Besides  this  letter  from  De  Chaumont,  Leonardo  sought 
another  advocate  for  his  cause  in  the  reverend  Archbishop  of 
Milan,  Hippolyte  d'Este,  whose  friendship  he  had  acquired  in 

'  Gaye,  "  Carteggio."     Gaye  places  the  date  of  this  letter  as  August  18,  1509, 
but  Uzielli  has  found  it  to  be  August  15. 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCI.  it 

former  times  in  Milan.     On  the    i8th  of  September,  1509,  he 
writes  as  follows  : — 

**  To  the  most  illustrious  and  reverend  Lord  Hippolyte,  Cardinal 
d'Este,  my  very  venerable  master  at  Ferrara. 

"  Most  illustrious  and  reverend  Lord, 

''  A  FEW  days  ago  I  came  from  Milan,  and  found  that 
one  of  my  brothers  refuses  to  execute  the  will  made  by  my 
father  at  the  time  of  his  death  three  years  ago.  Not  wishing, 
although  right  is  on  my  side,  to  fail  in  my  duty  to  myself 
in  a  thing  to  which  I  attach  importance,  I  would  not  omit  to  ask 
your  Reverend  Lordship  for  a  letter  of  recommendation  and 
protection  to  the  Lord  Raphaello  Theronymo  (Girolami),  who  is 
at  present  one  of  our  highest  and  most  powerful  lords,  before 
whom  my  case  will  be  tried,  and  who  has  been,  besides, 
particularly  charged  by  his  Excellency  the  Gonfalonier,  that  the 
said  trial  should  be  decided  and  ended  before  the  feast  of  All 
Saints.  This  is  why,  my  Lord,  I  beg  of  you  to  write  a  letter  to 
the  said  Lord  Raphael  in  the  adroit  and  affectionate  style  that 
you  know  how  to  use,  recommending  to  him  Leonardo  Vincio, 
the  most  devoted  servant  of  your  Lordship,  as  I  still  call  myself 
and  shall  always  remain,  begging  and  charging  him  not  only 
to  do  me  justice,  but  to  give  me  a  speedy  decision.  And  I 
doubt  not  from  the  many  things  that  I  hear,  that  through  the 
Lord  Raphael,  who  has  much  affection  for  your  Lordship,  my 
affair  will  succeed  according  to  my  wish,  the  which  I  shall  attri- 
bute to  the  letter  of  your  Reverend  Lordship,  to  whom  I  again 
commend  myself     Et  bene  valeat 

*' Florentie,  xviii.  Sept.  1507. 

"  Your  Reverend  Lordship's  humble  servant, 

Leonardus  Vincius  Pictor".  * 

*  This   letter  was   first   published   by  Campori,   "  Nouveaux  Documents  sur 
Leonard  de  Vinci,"  who  found  it  among  the  archives  of  Modena. 


62  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCL 

It  is  not  known  how  or  when  this  lawsuit  terminated,  or 
whether  my  Lord  Raphael  was  favourable  to  Leonardo  or  not,  but 
at  all  events  the  painter  was  back  in  Milan  before  the  end  of  the 
year.  The  Signory,  not  wishing,  perhaps,  to  offend  his  most 
Christian  Majesty,  with  whom  they  were  particularly  anxious  to 
keep  on  good  terms,  and  who  had  himself  written  to  them 
to  ask  them  to  expedite  the  artist's  return  to  Milan,  ^  made  no 
effort  to  detain  him,  and  there  seems  to  have  been  no  more  talk 
i>f  his  finishing  the  wall-painting  for  which  he  had  made  the 
cartoon.  Michael  Angelo  also  had  been  called  to  Rome  by  the 
imperious  Julius  IL,  so  Florence  had  to  content  herself  without 
her  two  greatest  masters. 

In  the  July  of  1507  Leonardo  apparently  was  staying  at  a 
country  house  belonging  to  the  Melzi  family  in  the  Canonica  of 
Vaprio,  on  the  borders  of  the  Adda,  for  from  thence  he  dated  a 
letter  of  which  a  fragment  has  been  preserved,^  beginning,  *'  Ca- 

*  The  letter  of  Louis  XII.  to  the  Signory  of  Florence  has  been  recently  found 
among  the  Archives  of  Florence.  It  was  first  published  by  Delecluse,  "  Saggio 
intorno  a  Leonardo  da  Vinci,"  Siena,  1844.     It  runs  as  follows  : — 

"  LoYS,  par  la  grace  de  Dieu  roi  de  France,  due  de  Milan,  Seigneur  de  Gennes. 
Trbs  chiers  et  grans  amis.  Nous  avons  este  advertiz  que  nostre  chier  et  bien  ame  Leo- 
nard da  Vincy,  nostre  painctre  et  ingenieur  ordinaire,  a  quelque  differend  et  procds 
pendant  k  Fleurance  k  I'encontre  de  ses  freres  pour  raison  de  quelques  heritages  ; 
et  pour  ce  qu'il  ne  pourrait  bonnement  varquer  k  la  poursuicte  du  dit  proces 
pour  I'octupaction  continuelle  qu'il  a  pres  et  alentour  de  nostre  personne  ;  aussi 
que  nous  ddsirons  singulierement  que  fin  soit  mise  au  dit  proems  en  la  meilleur  et 
plus  brefve  exp^diction  de  justice  que  faire  se  pourra ;  \  cette  cause,  nous  en  avons 
bien  voulu  escripre.  Et  vous  prions  que  icelui  procds  et  diffdrend  vous  veillez 
faire  vuyder  en  la  meilleur  et  plus  brefve  expediction  de  justice  que  faire  se  pourra ; 
et  vous  nous  ferez  plaisir  trbs  agrdable  en  ce  faisant.  Tres  chers  et  grans  amys, 
Notre  Seigneur  vous  ait  en  sa  garde.     Escript  a  Milan  le  xxvj'"*  jour  de  Juillet. 

"  LoYS, 

"  (A  tergo)  A  noz  tres  chers  et  grans  amys  alliez  Robertet. 

et  confidddrez  les  Gonfaloniner  perpetuel  et 

Seigneurie  de  Fleurance." 
2  In  the  "  Codex  Atlantic©,"  fol.  130. 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL  63 

nonica  di  Vuvro  (Vaprio)  a  di  5  di  Luglio  1507. — Cara  mia  diletta 
Madre  et  mia  sorella  et  mia  cognata  avvisovi  chome  sono  sano 
per  la  grazia  di  Dio."  De  Pagave,  in  his  manuscript  notes  so 
often  quoted  by  Amoretti,  says  that  he  had  seen  a  wall-painting 
of  a  head  by  Leonardo  in  this  house  near  a  window.  This  has 
long  since  disappeared,  but  on  the  facade  of  the  Melzi  Villa  at 
Vaprio  there  still  remains  the  blackened  and  ruined  fresco  of  a 
gigantic  Madonna  and  Child,  that  it  is  supposed  was  painted  by 
Leonardo  during  one  of  his  visits  to  Vaprio.  The  fresco  was  ii 
tolerably  good  condition  until  1 796,  when  some  soldiers,  bivouacing 
in  the  neighbourhood,  lighted  a  fire  close  under  the  wall  upon 
which  it  was  painted  and  greatly  injured  it.  Before  this  injury 
Pere  della  Valle  spoke  of  its  majestic  beauty  in  enthusiastic 
terms,^  and  even  to- the  present  day  it  is  said  to  retain  something 
of  the  Leonardo  charm.^ 

Louis  XIL  after  he  had  subdued  the  revolt  of  the  Genoese, 
returned  to  Milan  in  the  summer  of  1507,  at  which  time  he 
probably  wrote  the  letter  before  quoted  to  the  Signory  of 
Florence.  The  letter  is  only  dated  with  the  month  and  not  the 
year  in  which  it  was  written;  but  if  1507  be  correct,  as  many 
circumstances  show  it  to  be,  Leonardo  must  have  again  gone  to 
Florence  immediately  after  the  letter  written  from  the  Canonica 
di  Vaprio,  and  have  returned  before  the  1 5th  of  October  of  the 
same  year,  although  his  lawsuit  apparently  was  not  settled.  His 
circumstances  could  not  have  been  very  brilliant  at  this  time, 
for  the  record  that  gives  us  this  date,  October  15,  as  that  of  his 
return  to  Milan,  likewise  enlightens  us  as  to  the  state  of  his 
income.  It  is  a  little  memorandum  that  has  been  found  among 
his  MSS.  stating  that  at  this  time  he  had  only  thirty  crowns, 

*  "  II  piu  sublime  e  il  piii  morbido  che  veder  si  possa ;  che  bell'  impasto  di 
camagione  !  che  morbidezza,"  &c.  quoted  by  Amoretti,  p.  102. 

2  Passavant,  however,  is  of  opinion  that  the  fresco  was  painted  by  Fran- 
cesco Melzi,  the  master  of  the  house,  from  a  design  by  Leonardo. 


^4  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA    VINCl. 

but  that,  with  his  accustomed  generosity,  he  lent  or  gave  Salai 
thirteen  to  make  up  the  marriage  portion  of  his  sister,  keep- 
ing only  seventeen  for  himself^ 

The  four  years  that  elapsed  between  1507  and  1 5 1 1  were,  says 
Rio,  "  I'apogee  de  la  gloire  et  du  bonheur"  of  Leonardo.  The 
French  king  bestowed  upon  him  the  title  of  Peintre  du  Roi ;  the 
governor  and  marshal,  De  Chaumont,  was  his  generous  friend  ; 
his  pupils,  to  whom  Melzi  tells  us  he  was  a  father  and  a  friend, 
again  gathered  round  him,  and  he  was  honoured  and  revered  by 
all  who  knew  him. 

His  principal  work  during  this  time  seems  to  have  been  as  an 
engineer — at  least  it  is  not  known  what  paintings  he  accomplished 
for  the  most  Christian  King,  whether  the  ''  certain  small  pictures 
of  Our  Lady"  were  ever  painted  or  the  portrait  of  himself  that 
Louis  thought  it  probable  he  should  require. 

Unfortunately,  in  Vasari's  narrative  there  is  a  great  gap  at  this 
period.  The  old  chronicler  jumps  from  1504  to  15 15  without 
the  least  allusion  to  this  second  sojourn  in  Milan,  so  that  we 
have  no  consecutive  history  of  Leonardo's  life  at  this  time.  The 
researches  of  modern  historians  have,  however,  pretty  well  made 
up  for  Vasari's  deficiency,  for  more  authentic  documents  and 
letters  of  this  period  have  been  discovered  than  of  any  other. 

The  works  of  the  canal  of  Martesana,  there  is  little  doubt,  oc- 
cupied the  chief  part  of  his  time.  This,  as  before  said,  had  been 
begun  under  Lodovico,  and  was  continued  by  De  Chaumont  with 
great  energy.  It  presented  numerous  difficulties.  In  one  of  Leo- 
nardo's manuscripts,  dated  1 508,  there  is  a  whole  chapter  entitled 
*'  Del  Canale  della  Marlegana,''  in  which  he  suggests  a  means 
for  repairing  the  damage  that  would  be  done  to  Lodigiano  if  the 
waters  necessary  for  the  irrigation  of  that  district  were  drawn  off 


'  "  Addi  15  Octobre,  1507.     Ebbi  sc.  30.     13  ne  prestai  a  Salai  per  compiere 
la  dota  della  sorella  e  17  ne  rest6  a  me."     (Amoretti,  p.  103.) 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA    VINCL  65 

without  compensation  from  other  sources.     It  appears  probable 
also  that  he  was  engaged  upon  other  hydraulic  works. 

For  these  and  other  services  the  king  in  1508  presented 
him  with  the  right  of  ownership  of  twelve  ounces  of  water 
to  be  taken  from  the  Grand  Canal  near  San  Cristoforo.  This 
curious  present  was,  it  seems,  a  valuable  one.  ''  As  far  as  it 
can  be  at  present  understood,"  says  Brown,^  "  it  appears  that  he 
was  entitled  to  as  much  water  as  could  be  drawn  off  by  a  tunnel 
that  measured  one  foot  in  diameter,  which  is  equal  to  twelve 
ounces,  and  that  he  had  a  right  of  applying  this  to  whatever 
purpose  he  pleased.  To  an  engineer  of  his  talents  this  was  of 
the  greatest  value,  as  he  might  have  either  applied  it  ta 
hydraulic  purposes,  or  sold  it  to  the  proprietors  of  the  neighbour- 
ing land  to  enrich  the  cultivation  of  their  soil  by  its  irrigation." 

It  was  a  long  time,  however,  before  Leonardo  gained  possession 
of  his  twelve  ounces  of  water,  as  we  find  by  certain  letters  written 
by  him  to  De  Chaumont,  Melzi,  and  the  President  of  the  Water 
Works  at  Milan,  at  a  later  date.^  Indeed,  he  does  not  seem  ever 
to  have  made  any  use  of  the  king's  gift ;  although  as  he  disposed 
of  it  in  his  will,  he  evidently  regarded  it  as  his  property,  notwith- 
standing the  changes  of  government  that  afterwards  occurred. 

Amoretti  supposes^  that  Leonardo  took  part  in  designing  the 
triumphal  arches,  fetes,  and  celebrations  that  took  place  in  June, 
1509,  when  Louis  XII.  made  a  triumphal  entry  into  Milan  after 
the  battle  of  Aguadello,  gained  by  the  French  over  the  Venetians. 
Whether  he  did  or  not,  it  is  certain  that  he  had  now  completely 
transferred  his  loyalty  from  Lodovico  Sforza  to  the  French  king, 


^  "Life  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci,"  1835.  2  ggg  p^gg  5^ 

^  From  a  phrase  used  by  Arluno,  who  describes  the  pomp  and  splendour  of 
the  king's  entry,  and  speaks  of  pictures  by  great  masters  executed  for  the 
occasion.  He  does  not  mention  Leonardo's  name,  but  the  phrase  "  pitture 
mollissime "  is  supposed  to  refer  to  his  works,  as  Arluno  uses  it  concerning 
Leonardo  elsewhere. 


66  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCL 

whom,  as  we  shall  see,  in  his  letter  to  Chaumont,  he  speaks  of 
as  our  most  Christian  king — cristianissimo  nostra  re — as,  indeed, 
the  Milanese  themselves  seem  at  this  time  to  have  done.  In  the 
March  of  1509,  however,  Leonardo  was  certainly  in  Florence,  as 
we  find  from  one  of  the  manuscripts  in  the  British  Museum,  at 
the  beginning  of  which  is  written,  "  Begun  in  Florence  in  the 
house  of  Piero  di  Barto  Martello  on  the  22nd  of  March,  1508.^ 
This  is  the  old  reckoning,  ab  incarnatione.  The  actual  date  is  1 509. 

On  the  third  of  March,  15 10,  as  we  again  find  from  one  of 
his  own  manuscripts,^  he  was  back  in  Milan,  designing  a  wharf 
on  the  great  canal  S.  Cristoforo. 

He  seems,  indeed,  at  this  time  to  have  been  constantly  jour- 
neying between  Florence  and  Milan,  whether  on  account  of  the 
litigation  with  his  brothers,  or  because  he  was  occupied  with 
works  in  both  cities,  is  not  apparent.  Certainly  no  work  of  a 
public  kind  detained  him  in  Florence,  for  the  painting  of  the 
Palazzo  Vecchio  was  quite  given  up.  The  only  painted  work 
that  can  be  referred  with  any  certainty  to  this  period  is  the  por- 
trait mentioned  by  Lomazzo,  of  the  Marshal  Gian  Jacopo  Trivul- 
zio,  a  Milanese  by  birth,  but  an  enemy  of  the  Sforza  family. 
He  was  made  governor  of  part  of  Lombardy  by  Louis  XH., 
and  commanded  under  Francis  L  at  the  battle  of  Marignano,  on 
which  occasion  he  is  reported  to  have  said  that  **  he  had  been  in 
eighteen  pitched  battles,  but  had  found  them  all  child's  play 
compared  with  this  battle  of  giants." 

The  portrait  that  Leonardo  painted  of  this  hero  is  by  some 
critics  supposed  to  be  the  one  in  the  Dresden  Gallery,  that  is 
also  designated  Lodovico  Sforza,  but  it  seems  very  uncertain 
whether  it  represents  either  of  these  generals,  or  indeed, 
whether  it  is  by  Leonardo  at  all.  ^ 

»  Arundel  MSS.  p.  79.  2  *<  Amoretti,"  p.  104.  ■. 

•  A  copy  of  a  portrait,  also  said  to  be  that  of  Trivulzio,  by  a  painter  of 
Leonardo's  school,  has  been  engraved  by  Morghen. 


LIFE    OF   LEONARDO    DA    VINCL  67 

In  151 1  it  IS  probable  that  Leonardo  was  again,  during  some 
part  of  the  year,  in  Florence,  at  least  Amoretti  and  Uzielli  suppose 
that  to  be  the  most  likely  date  for  the  following  letters  written 
by  him  to  his  friends  De  Chaumont  and  Melzi,  and  to  the 
President  of  the  office  of  Water  Works  at  Milan  : 

Leonardo  da  Vinci  to  De  Chaumont  (151 1  ?). 

"  I  SUSPECT  that  my  small  returns  for  the  great  benefits 
which  I  have  received  from  your  Excell^  have  caused  you  to 
take  some  offence  against  me,  and  that  it  is  for  this  reason  that 
to  so  many  letters  which  I  have  written  to  V.  S.  I  have  never 
had  any  answer.  I  now  send  with  this  Salai'  to  inform  V,  S. 
that  I  am  almost  at  the  end  of  the  lawsuit  with  my  brothers, 
and  that  I  expect  to  be  with  you  by  next  Easter,  and  to  bring 
with  me  two  Madonnas  (Nosstre  Donne)  of  different  sizes,  which 
have  been  done  for  his  most  Christian  Majesty,  or  for  whomso- 
ever V.  S.  chooses.  I  should  be  very  glad  to  know  at  my  return 
from  this  place,  where  I  have  been  obliged  to  stay  by  necessity, 
and  because  I  did  not  wish  to  give  more  trouble  to  V.  S.,  whether, 
considering  that  I  have  also  been  at  work  for  his  Majesty,  my 
salary  is  to  go  on  or  not. 

"  I  am  writing  to  the  President  about  the  water  which  the  king 
gave  me,  but  of  which  I  have  never  been  put  in  possession, 
because  at  that  time  there  was  scarcity  in  the  canal  through  the 
great  drought,  and  because  the  sluices  were  not  regulated ;  but 
I  was  clearly  promised  that  when  they  were  regulated  I  should 
be  put  in  possession  :  wherefore  I  beg  V.  S.  to  be  so  good,  now 
that  the  sluices  are  in  order,  to  remind  the  President  of  my 
business,  i.  e.  to  give  me  possession  of  this  water,  because  at  my 
arrival  I  hope  to  construct  thereon  instruments  and  things  which 
will  give  great  pleasure  to  our  king. 

"  I  have  nothing  more  to  say,  but  remain  always, 

"  At  your  commands." 


68  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCL 

Leonardo  da  Vinci  to  the  president  of  the  office  regulating 
the  waters  at  Milan  (15 1 1  ?). 

"  Gracious  President, — 

"■  As  I  have  often  called  to  mind  the  promises  frequently 
made  to  me  by  your  Excell^,  I  take  the  liberty  to  write  and  to 
remind  you  of  the  promise  you  made  me  at  our  last  meeting, 
respecting  the  1 2  oz.  of  water  given  me  by  the  most  Christian 
king.  V.  S.  is  aware  that  I  did  not  enter  into  possession  of  it, 
because^  at  that  time  there  was  scarcity  in  the  canal  through  the 
great  drought,  and  because  the  sluices  were  not  regulated,  but  I 
was  clearly  promised  that  when  they  were  regulated  that  I 
should  be  put  in  possession  ;  and  understanding  that  the  canal 
was  in  good  order,  I  wrote  several  times  to  V.  S.  and  to  Master 
Girolamo  da  Casano,  who  has  by  him  the  deed  of  donation,  and 
I  also  wrote  to  the  governor,  and  have  had  no  answer.  I  now 
send  to  you  my  pupil  Salai,  bearer  of  this  letter,  to  whom  V.  S. 
may  tell  verbally  all  that  has  been  done  in  the  matter  on  which 
I  trouble  your  Excell^. 

"  I  expect  by  next  Easter  to  be  near  the  end  of  my  dispute, 
and  will  bring  with  me  two  pictures  of  Madonnas  which  I 
have  commenced,  and  which  during  the  time  that  has  passed,  I 
have  brought  into  a  very  good  condition. 

**  I  have  nothing  farther  to  say." 

This  last  letter  appears  to  have  been  only  the  rough  draft  of 
the  one  really  sent  by  Leonardo  to  the  president,  for  there  is 
extant  another  copy  of  it  couched  in  almost  the  same  terms. 

Leonardo  da  Vinci  to  Francesco  Melzi  (1511  ?). 

**  Good  day  Messer  Francessco, — 

"  God  knows  why  after  so  many  letters  as  I  have  written 
to  you,  you  have  never  sent  me  an  answer.     Only  wait  till  I 


'-  1 


See  letter  to  Chaumont. 


LIFE    OF   LEONARDO   DA     VINCI.  69 

come,  and  by  Heaven  I  will  make  you  write  so  much  that 
perhaps  you  will  be  sorry.  My  dear  Messer  Francessco,  I  am 
sending  Salai  to  ask  his  Grace  the  president  that  he  will  at  last 
help  in  that  regulation  of  the  water  which  was  ordered  on  my 
part  for  the  sluices  of  the  canal,  because  the  President  promised 
me  that  as  soon  as  they  were  regulated  my  business  should  be 
settled.  Now  for  some  time  I  have  understood  that  the  canal 
is  in  good  order,  as  also  the  sluices,  and  I  at  once  wrote  to  the 
president  and  to  you,  and  afterwards  wrote  again,  and  never 
received  an  answer.  Therefore  you  will  kindly  let  me  know 
how  things  stand,  and  if  the  matter  be  not  completed,  take  the 
trouble  for  love  of  me  to  solicit  the  President  a  little,  as  also 
Messer  Giralamo  da  Casano,  to  whom  you  will  recommend  me, 
and  offer  my  respects." 

We  do  not  know  what  replies  Leonardo  received  to  these 
letters,  or  whether  the  twelve  ounces  of  water  about  which  he 
writes  were  then  put  into  his  possession.  If  so,  he  does  not 
seem  to  have  made  use  of  them  either  for  "  instruments  and 
things  (probably  hydraulic  inventions),  to  give  pleasure  to  our 
king,"  or  for  anything  else. 

We  have,  indeed,  no  certain  knowledge  of  any  of  Leonardo's 
works  during  the  seven  years  of  his  second  residence  in  Milan, 
under  the  government  of  Louis  XIL  Vasari,  as  before  said, 
passes  over  these  years  without  notice.  But  in  the  absence  of 
historic  information  concerning  the  dates  of  so  many  of  his 
pictures,  it  is  convenient  to  refer  to  this  period  of  his  life  several 
works  to  which  no  date  is  assigned  by  Vasari,  and  which  were 
evidently  executed  or  designed  by  Leonardo  in  the  maturity  of 
his  powers. 

Of  these  may  be  cited  the  celebrated  Madonna  and  Child 
with  the  little  St.  John,  and  an  angel  known  as  "  La  Vierge  aux 
Rochers,"  of  which  France  and  England  have  each  a  repetition ; 
for  thus  it  must  be  stated,  critics  not  having  yet  decided  which 


70  LIFE    OF   LEONARDO    DA     VINCL 

is  the  original,  the  Louvre  example  or  the  one  in  the  possession 
of  the  Duke  of  Suffolk/  or  indeed  whether  either  can  claim  to 
be  really  the  work  of  Leonardo  himself^  That  he  designed  this 
composition  and  gave  the  subject  much  thought  is  proved  by 
the  number  of  preliminary  studies  that  have  been  found,  that 
evidently  have  reference  to  it.^ 

The  St.  John  the  Baptist  of  the  Louvre  is  also  one  of  Leo- 
nardo's finest  works,  and  the  splendid  modelling  of  the  head  and 
its  unsurpassed  technical  excellence  make  it  probable  that  it  is  one 
of  the  few  paintings  that  may  be  supposed  to  have  been  really 
executed  by  himself  The  orthodox  Rio  is  not  satisfied  with  the 
"  poetic  perfection"  of  this  naturalistic  figure  of  St.  John.  ''  On 
y  cherche  vainement,"  he  remarks,  "  cet  ideal  ascetique  realise 
plus  ou  moins  heureusement  par  la  peinture  chretienne,  mais 
auquel  Leonard,  avec  tout  son  genie,  ne  put  jamais  atteindre." 
This  is  true.  The  ''  ideal  ascetique"  was  too  narrow  for  the 
wide  philosophy  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci ;  but  neither  had  the 
sensuous  ideal  of  the  Venetians  any  ^charms  for  him.  The 
loveliness  of  his  women  is  that  of  mind  and  not  of  flesh. 

The  subject  of  Herodias  with  the  head  of  St.  John  the 
Baptist  was  a  favourite  one  with  Leonardo's  school,  and  doubt- 
less the  original  conception  emanated  from  the  master;  but 
whether  the  small  representation  of  the  subject  in  the  Uffizi  is 
his  work  or  that  of  Luini,  is  difficult  to  decide.  Borghini^ 
unhesitatingly  pronounces  it  to  be  by  him,  but  other  critics  class 
it  only  with  the  works  of  his  school.  We  find  many  repetitions 
of  this  subject  with  slight  variations.^ 


^  Exhibited  in  the  Royal  Academy,  old  masters,  1870.  ^  See  Catalogue. 

^  A  drawing  of  the  head  of  the  Virgin  and  of  the  Child  in  the  collection  of  the 
Duke  of  Devonshire  at  Chatsworth  far  surpasses  in  loveliness  either  of  the  two 
finished  compositions.  There  is  also  a  beautiful  sketch  in  grisaille  of  the  head  of 
the  Virgin  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  Holford. 

*  "  Riposo,"  vol.  ii.  *  See  Catalogue. 


LA   VIERGE   AUX   ROCHERS. 
Fn  the  Louvre. 


LIFE    OF   LEONARDO   DA     VINCL  71 

The  two  half-length  female  figures  known  by  the  title  of 
"  Vanity  and  Modesty "  is  a  composition  that  has  also  been 
repeated  several  times,  the  best  rendering  being  that  in  the 
Sciarra  Gallery  at  Rome.  "  La  Colombina,"  or  Flora,  is  another 
woman's  portrait,  to  which  the  title  of  "  Vanity"  has  some- 
times been  given.  It  is  not,  in  fact,  as  would  seem  at  first 
sight,  a  simple  portrait  of  a  beautiful  woman,  any  more  than 
the  Mona  Lisa  or  other  female  figures  by  Leonardo,  but  is 
expressive  of  some  complex  idea  in  the  mind  of  the  painter 
that  we  cannot  quite  understand.  Each  interprets  it  according 
to  his  own  notions. 

La  Monaca,  of  the  Pitti  Palace,  puzzles  us  in  the  same  way. 
What  does  that  alluring  beauty  in  the  sad  garments  of  a  nun 
mean  ? 

Leonardo,  a§  will  have  been  seen,  did  not,  like  so  many 
masters  of  his  time,  rush  unhesitatingly  into  the  domain  of 
pagan  mythology.  Though  sympathizing  fully  with  the  Renais- 
sance, and  being,  as  is  stated  in  his  epitaph,  the  admiring  and 
grateful  pupil  of  the  ancients,  he  never  adopted  the  pagan  style 
or  allowed  himself  the  pagan  license  from  which  even  Raphael 
did  not  quite  refrain.  One  mythological  subject,  however,  is 
attributed  to  him,  that  of  Leda  with  her  twins,  represented  in  a 
grand  painting  at  the  Hague,  which,  however,  has  been  con- 
verted by  some  prudish  possessor  into  a  "  Charity,"  by  the  simple 
process  of  clothing  the  naked  figures. 

Numerous  Madonnas  and  Holy  Families  of  Leonardo's 
gracious  type  of  beauty  are  found  in  different  galleries  and 
collections,  and  many  of  them  were  doubtless  inspired  by  him 
or  even  painted  from  his  design ;  but  knowing  the  surpassing 
excellence  of  his  two  or  three  certainly  authentic  works,  we  must 
always  hesitate  in  ascribing  to  him  any  picture,  however 
charming,  that  falls  short  of  the  wonderful  perfectness  of  these. 

The  Holy  Family  known  as  "  La  Vierge  au  bas-relief,"  of  which 


72  LIFE    OF   LEONARDO    DA     VINCL 

there  are  so  many  examples,  Is   one  of  the  most  beautiful  and 
best  known  of  his  Madonnas.' 

Christ  disputing  with  the  Doctors,  in  our  National  Gallery, 
was  for  a  long  time  thought  to  be  a  genuine  work  of  Leonardo, 
but  it  is  now  universally  believed  by  critics  to  be  by  Bernardino 
Luini.  Luini,  indeed,  was  so  thoroughly  imbued  with  Leonardo's 
sentiment,  and  was  in  himself  such  an  admirable  painter,  that 
his  works  have  long  been  attributed  to  his  master.  Lomazzo 
tells  us  that  he  was  a  poet  as  well  as  a  painter ;  and  although  we 
know  nothing  of  his  verses,  we  feel  that  he  must  have  been. 
It  was  not  only  Leonardo's  mantle  that  fell  upon  his  shoulders, 
but  the  inspiration  of  the  master  descended  in  some  degree 
to  the  disciple.  It  is  not  supposed  that  he  was  one  of  the 
students  of  the  Milanese  Academy,  or  indeed  that  he  was  an 
immediate  pupil  of  Leonardo's,  like  Melzi,  Salai  and  others, 
yet  more  than  any  other  he  seems  to  have  been  influenced  by 
his  teaching. 

Cesare  da  Sesto  was  another  of  the  artists  formed  by  Leonardo, 
and  is  called  by  Lomazzo  his  "happiest  imitator."  He  learnt 
no  doubt  directly  from  Leonardo  in  Milan,  and  quitted  that  city 
for  Rome  about  the  same  time  as  his  master,  though  he  did  not, 
like  several  other  of  his  pupils,  travel  in  his  company. 

For  in  his  works  at  Milan,  whatever  they  may  have  been,  and 
in  his  peaceful  teaching  of  his  pupils,  Leonardo  was  now  once 
more  disturbed.  The  period  that  Rio  calls  "I'apogee  de  sa 
gloire  et  de  son  bonheur,"  was  not  of  long  duration.  The  death 
of  the  wise  De  Chaumont,  in  151 1,  and  the  fearful  sack  of 
Brescia  by  the  French  army  which  took  place  in  February,  1 5 1 2, 
put  an  end  to  the  popularity  of  the  French  in  Lombardy.  Even 
those  who  had  welcomed  the  French  king  as  an  exchange  from 
the  tyranny  of  the  Sforzas  began  to  feel  the  evils  and  oppression 

*  See  p.  76,  and  Catalogue. 


CHRIST  DISPUTING  WITH  THE   DOCTORS. 

/;/  the  National  Gallery,  London. 

[Query  hy  Luini.^ 


LIFE    OF   LEONARDO    DA    VINCL  73 

of  a  foreign  government,  and  to  desire  once  more  a  native  ruler. 
The  battle  of  Ravenna,  in  which  the  renowned  Gaston  de  Foix 
was  killed,  although  gained  by  the  French,  broke  their  power  in 
Italy,  and  very  soon  the  French  general  La  Palisse  was  obliged 
to  evacuate  Milan,  of  which  the  Swiss  at  once  took  possession 
in  the  name  of  Maximilian  Sforza,  the  son  of  Lodovico.  Maxi- 
milian was  received  by  the  people  of  Milan  with  the  same 
rejoicings  that  they  had  recently  shown  at  the  entry  of  Louis 
XI L  ;  indeed,  it  is  said  that  the  triumphal  arches  under  which 
the  French  king  had  passed  were  set  up  again  for  his  successor. 
The  French,  after  a  slight  return  of  fortune,  by  means  of  which 
they  regained  Milan  for  a  time,  were  finally  obliged  to  evacuate 
Lombardy,  "  where,"  says  an  historian  of  the  time,^  "  all  was  con- 
fusion, vengeance,  and  misery " — confusione^  vendetta^  et  indi- 
genza^  though  a  peace  was  at  last  signed  between  the  belligerent 
powers.* 

Leonardo,  whose  want  of  patriotism  and  indifference  to 
politics  has  been  made  a  matter  of  reproach  with  several  writers, 
although  he  had  accepted  the  position  and  pension  of  painter  to 
the  French  king,  must  have  now  returned  to  his  allegiance  to 
the  house  of  Sforza,  for  we  find  that  he  painted  the  young 
duke  Maximilian  twice  before  he  finally  left  Milan.^  But  a 
country  that  was  in  this  fearfully  unsettled  state,  and  where 
"  confusion,  vengeance,  and  misery"  reigned  supreme,  was  no 
place  for  an  artist  who  loved  tranquillity  above  all  things,  and 
who  had  been  suddenly  robbed  by  the  overthrow  of  the  French 
not  only  of  that,  but  also  of  all  hope  of  recompense  and  glory. 

Accordingly  he  made  up  his  mind  to  depart,  and  on  the  24th  of 

^  Quoted  by  Charles  Blanc,  "  Histoire  des  Peintres." 

2  It  was  signed  in  London  on  the  7  th  of  August,  1514. 

'  Amoretti,  pp.  52  and  112.  One  of  these  portraits  is  supposed  to  be  in  the 
Ambrosian  at  Milan,  the  other  is  said  to  be  in  the  possession  of  the  Melzi 
family. 


74  LIFE    OF    LEONARDO    DA     VINCL 

September,  1 5 14,^  he  set  out  from  Milan,  as  he  tells  us  in  one  of  his 
manuscripts,  with  Giovanni,  Francesco  Melzi,  Salai",  Lorenzo,  and 
the  Fanfoia.  Par  Hi  da  Milano  per  Roma  addl  24  di  Settembre 
con  Giovanni,  Francesco  Melzi,  Salat,  Lorenzo  e  il  Fanfoia. 

So  runs  the  brief  record  on  one  of  the  manuscripts  at  Paris. 
Nothing  to  tell  us  of  his  regrets,  his  shattered  plans,  his  future 
intentions.  We  learn,  however,  from  this  note  that  his  favourite 
pupils,  "his  children,"  accompanied  their  master  and  father  on 
his  pilgrimage,  and  no  doubt  softened  its  sorrow.  We  know  not 
who  Lorenzo^  and  Fanfoia  were,  but  Giovanni  was  probably 
Giovanni  Beltrafiio,  one  of  his  best  scholars,  and  Melzi  and  Salai', 
were,  as  we  have  seen,  his  dearest  pupils  and  friends. 

With  this  small  following  of  faithful  pupils,  who  probably  felt 
like  himself  that  stormy  Milan  was  no  place  for  the  peaceful  arts, 
Leonardo  directed  his  steps  towards  Rome,  where  Michael 
Angelo  and  Raphael  had  already  preceded  him.  He  did  not, 
however,  go  straight  to  the  Holy  City,  but  appears  to  have 
delayed  awhile  in  Florence,  where  the  Medici  were  once  more 
in  the  ascendant,  Giovanni  de'  Medici  having  succeeded  to 
the  popedom  under  the  name  of  Leo  X.,  and  his  brother 
Giuliano  being  ruler  in  Florence.  It  was  in  Giuliano's  train 
that  Leonardo  finally  arrived  in  Rome,  where  he  was  cordially 
received  by  Leo  X.,  who  bade  him  ''work  for  the  glory  of  God, 
Italy,  Leo  X.,  and  Leonardo  da  Vinci;"  but  who,  nevertheless, 
neglected  to  give  him  any  important  commission.     Indeed,  it  is 

*  The  date  of  the  year  is  not  given  by  Leonardo,  but  in  the  same  codex  as 
the  above  record,  underneath  a  small  drawing  of  a  wild  and  desolate  country, 
there  is  written,  "Sulla  riva  del  Po  vicino  a  Sant'  Angelo  nel  15 14,  addi  27  Set- 
tembre." This  drawing  is  supposed  to  have  been  made  on  his  journey  from 
Milan. 

2  Lorenzo  was  probably  a  Florentine  and  not  a  Milanese  pupil,  for  in  1505,  when 
Leonardo  was  living  in  Florence,  he  wrote  on  one  of  his  manuscripts  : — "  1505, 
Martedi  sera  a  dl  14  d'Aprile.  Venne  Lorenzo  a  stare  con  mecho  j  disse  essere 
d'etk  d'anni  17." 


X 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL  75 

easy  to  understand  that  a  painter  who  had  been  in  the  service 
of  the  King  of  France,  and  who  was  devoted  to  the  French 
interest,  would  not  find  much  favour  in  Rome,  where  a  strong 
anti-Gallican  feeling  prevailed.  Added  to  this,  Raphael  and 
Michael  Angelo  already  held  the  first  places  as  artists  in  the 
capital,  and  it  must  have  been  difficult  for  Leonardo,  who  had 
been  first  in  Milan,  to  submit  to  being  considered  second  or  even 
third  in  fame  at  Rome. 

Michael  Angelo  was  at  Florence  at  the  time  of  Leonardo's 
arrival,  but  according  to  Vasari,  who  takes  up  Leonardo's  life 
again  at  this  period,  *'  there  was  great  disdain  between  Michel- 
agnolo  Buonarroti  and  Leonardo,"  and  therefore  when  the  former 
heard  that  the  latter  was  in  Rome  the  competition  between  them 
caused  Michael  Angelo  to  leave  Florence,  the  Duke  Giuliano 
framing  as  an  excuse  for  him  that  he  was  summoned  by  the 
Pope  concerning  the  fa9ade  of  San  Lorenzo.  ''  When  Leonardo 
knew  of  this,"  adds  Vasari,  ''  he  departed  and  went  to  France." 

Herman  Grimm,  Michael  Angelo's  biographer,  endeavours  to 
disprove  this  asserted  rivalry  by  showing  that  Michael  Angelo 
was  not  in  Rome  during  Leonardo's  brief  stay  there;*  but  it 
probably  did  not  need  the  presence  of  his  rival  to  revive  the 
jealousy  that  had  formerly  existed  in  Florence  on  account  of  the 
cartoons.  We  do  not  know  whether  Leonardo  entered  into 
competition  for  the  projected  fa9ade  of  San  Lorenzo  at  Florence, 
designs  for  which  had  been  required  by  Leo  X.  from  all  the 
great  artists  of  the  time.  Raphael,  the  Sansovini,  and  others 
sent  in  drawings,  but  Michael  Angelo's  design  was  chosen,  and 
he,  much  against  his  will,  for  he  wished  to  be  allowed  to  finish 
the  Mausoleum  of  Julius  IL,  was  compelled  to  undertake  it. 
The  facade  was  not  actually  begun  by  Michael  Angelo  until 
January,  151 7,  after  Leonardo  had  left  Italy,  but  the  competition 


^  See  "  Life  of  Michael  Angelo,"  vol.  i.  p.  391. 


76  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCL 

took  place  while  he  was  in  Rome,  and  it  is  not  improbable  that 
he  entered  into  it  and  was  annoyed  at  Michael  Angelo's  victory. 

The  only  patron  that  Leonardo  found  in  Rome  besides  the 
Pope,  who,  according  to  Vasari,  prized  him  more  on  account  of 
his  alchemical  knowledge  than  for  his  artistic  powers,  was  a 
certain  Messer  Baldassare  Turini  of  Pescia,  who  was  datary 
(almoner)  to  Leo  X.  For  him  Leonardo  executed  a  picture  of 
the  Virgin  and  Child,  "with  infinite  care  and  art,"  and  also  a 
painting  of  a  little  child  marvellously  graceful  and  beautiful, 
bello  e  grazioso  a  maraviglia.  These  paintings  in  Vasari's  time 
were  still  at  Pescia,  in  the  possession  of  Messer  Giulio  Turini ; 
but  like  so  many  of  Leonardo's  works,  they  are  now  lost,  or  at 
least  cannot  be  identified  among  the  numerous  Madonnas  attri- 
buted to  him. 

It  has  been  considered  that  the  "  Holy  Family  of  the  Hermitage" 
at  St.  Petersburg,  a  picture  similar  in  composition  to  the  well- 
known  Vierge  au  bas-relief,  was  painted  by  Leonardo  at  this 
time  for  Leo  X.  The  group  is  formed  of  the  Virgin  and  the 
Child,  who  holds  forth  his  hand  to  receive  a  tazza  offered  to  him 
by  the  little  St.  John.  Behind  stand  St.  Joseph  and  a  beautiful 
figure  of  St.  Catherine,  which  is  said  to  be  a  portrait  of  Filiberta 
of  Savoy,  who  at  the  time  this  picture  is  supposed  to  have  been 
painted  was  the  betrothed  or  newly-married  wife  of  Giuliano  de' 
Medici. 

De  Pagave  and  several  other  modern  critics,  among  whom 
may  be  mentioned  Beyle  and  Passavant,  have  no  doubt  of  the 
authenticity  of  this  picture.  Beyle  especially  speaks  of  it  in 
enthusiastic  terms,  and  Passavant  considers  it  "  worthy  of  Leo- 
nardo;" and  what  more  can  be  said  ?  Other  critics,  however,  find 
in  it  only  one  of  the  many  repetitions  of  the  Vierge  au  bas-relief, 
and  by  no  means  the  best.' 

*  Viardot  calls  it  "  Une  page  ddfectueuse,  oU  les  deux  femmes,   Marie  et 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCL  -n 

De  Pagave  thinks  that  Raphael's  influence  is  perceptible  in 
this  work.  "  Although  the  Vincian  style  is  perfectly  discernible," 
he  says,  "  it  is  evident  that  Leonardo  imitated  Raffaelle  in  this 
composition."^  But  it  is  much  more  probable  that  Pagave  was 
thinking  at  the  time  he  wrote  of  those  pictures  in  which  Raphael 
undoubtedly  imitated  Leonardo,  and  thus  found  the  resemblance 
of  style. 

The  St.  Petersburg  Holy  Family  is  signed  with  the  monogram 
of  Leonardo,  "  L.  D.  V."  a  circumstance  that  is  in  itself  suspicious, 
as  Leonardo  rarely  or  never  signed  his  works. 

This  work,  however,  even  if  it  were  painted  for  Leo  X.,  which 
seems  extremely  doubtful,  could  not  have  been  the  one  com- 
missioned by  that  pope,  for  which,  as  Vasari  records,  he  distilled 
oils  and  prepared  herbs  for  the  varnish  before  beginning  the 
picture  itself,  a  proceeding  that  called  forth  the  remark  from  the 
Pope,  "  Alas !  the  while,  this  man  will  assuredly  do  nothing  at 
all,  since  he  is  thinking  of  the  end  before  he  has  made  a  begin- 
ning of  his  work."^ 

Angered  by  this  remark,  and  by  the  general  want  of  appreci- 
ation that  he  had  met  with  in  Rome,  Leonardo  resolved  to  leave 
the  field  to  Michael  Angelo  and  Raphael,  and  the  youthful 
artists  who  surrounded  these  two  supreme  masters,  and  to  with- 
draw altogether  from  a  contest  to  which,  perhaps,  he  now  felt 
himself  unequal. 

An  opportunity  soon  occurred  that  allowed  him  to  do  so,  not  only 
without  loss  of  dignity,  but  with  prospects  that  must  have  made  up 
in  some  measure  for  the  slighting  treatment  he  had  received  in 
Rome.     Louis  XIL,  whom,  as  we  have  seen,  he  styled  "  nostro 


Catherine,  sont  calquees  Tune  sur  I'autre,  ou  tout  est  laid,  disgracieux,  grima- 
9ant."    Who  shall  decide  ? 

^  Quoted  in  Amoretti,  "  Memorie  Storiche." 

2  "  Oimb  !  costui  non  b  per  far  nulla,  da  che  comincia  a  pensare  alia  fine 
innanzi  al  principio  dell'  opera!" 


7^  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCL 

re,"  died  just  at  this  juncture,  and  the  brilliant  young  Francis  I. 
succeeded  him  on  the  ist  of  January,  15 15,  and  soon  after  as- 
serted his  claims  to  Italian  dominion.  Once  more  Italy  was 
invaded  by  a  French  army,  and  the  desperate  battle  of  Marig- 
nano  again  unseated  the  Sforzas,  and  left  Lombardy  to  the  rule 
of  the  French.  So  complete,  indeed,  was  this  victory,  that  even 
the  Pope  thought  it  desirable  to  make  terms,  and  signed  a 
treaty  at  Viterbo  on  the  13th  of  October,  1515,  by  which  he 
restored  Parma  and  Placentia  to  the  French.  Meanwhile, 
Leonardo,  on  hearing  of  the  successes  of  Francis  I.,  had  at 
once  joined  that  monarch,  who  received  him  with  every  mark  of 
favour,  as  being  not  only  the  greatest  master  in  Italy,  but  like- 
wise as  one  already  attached  to  the  French  interest.  He 
reinstated  him  in  all  the  honours  that  he  had  enjoyed  under  his 
predecessor,  and  bestowed  on  him  not  only  the  title  of  Painter 
to  the  King,  but  also  a  pension  of  700  crowns  of  gold,  that  he 
does  not  seem  to  have  received  from  Louis  XI  I. ^ 

It  must  have  been  during  Leonardo's  short  residence  at  Milan 
at  this  time  that  he  wrote  the  following  letter  to  his  castaldo,  or 
steward,  at  Fiesole,  where  we  may  infer  he  had  property. 

The  letter  is  important,  as  showing  that  he  must  have  under- 
stood the  use  of  mineral  manure,  for  he  directs  that  lime  should 
be  added  to  the  soil  to  dry  the  roots  of  the  vines  ;  also  it  is 
evident  that  the  respiration  of  plants,  a  discovery  which  is  not 
supposed  to  have  been  made  until  much  later,  must  have  been 
known  to  him.  "  The  stem  and  the  leaves,"  he  says,  *'  draw  in 
from  the  air  the  matters  necessary  for  the  perfection  of  the 


*  This  pension  is  spoken  of  by  Cellini,  who  says  in  his  autobiography  that  the 
Cardinal  da  Ferrara  came  to  him  and  told  him  that  the  most  Christian  king  had 
of  his  own  accord  assigned  to  him  the  same  salary  that  his  Majesty  had  given  to 
Leonardo  da  Vinci,  the  painter,  namely,  700  crowns  a  year.  "  II  nostro  Re 
Cristianissimo  da  per  se  stesso  v'ha  fatto  la  medesima  prowisione  che  Sua  Maestk 
dava  a  Leonardo  da  Vinci  Pittore,  quali  sono  700  scudi  I'anno." 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCL  79 

grape."     Lo  stelto  e  le  folie  dall  aria  altranno  le  substantie  conve- 
nient e  alia  perfetione  del  grapolo. 

Leonardo  da  Vinci  to  Zanobi  Boni,  9th  December,  15 15. 

'*  From  Milan,  to  Zanobi  Boni,  my  castaldo. 

'*  The  four  last  bottles  were  not  up  to  my  expectation, 
for  which  I  am  very  sorry ;  the  vines  of  Fiesole  being  much  im- 
proved in  quality,  ought  to  furnish  first-rate  wine  for  our  Italy 
as  well  as  for  Ser  Ottaviano.  You  know,  however,  that  I  told 
you  it  would  be  necessary  to  manure  the  cord  when  placed  in 
the  stony  ground  with  lime  mortar  from  destroyed  houses  or 
walls,  and  this  dries  the  root ;  and  the  stem  and  the  leaves 
draw  in  from  the  air  the  matters  necessary  to  the  perfection  of 
the  grape.  Besides,  we  have  now  a  very  bad  habit  of  making 
wine  in  uncovered  vessels,  and  so  the  essence  escapes  into  the 
air  during  fermentation,  and  nothing  remains  but  a  tasteless 
liquor  coloured  by  the  dregs  and  the  pulp  ;  moreover,  they  do 
not  shift  it  as  they  ought  from  vessel  to  vessel,  in  consequence  of 
which  the  wine  becomes  turbid  and  difficult  of  digestion. 

''  However,  if  you  and  others  will  profit  by  these  reasonings, 
we  shall  drink  good  wine. 

"  May  the  Blessed  Virgin  save  you.  *'  Leonardo." 

It  is  supposed  that  the  lion  spoken  of  by  Lomazzo  was  in- 
vented by  Leonardo  at  this  time,  to  add  to  the  splendour  of  the 
shows  and  entertainments  held  at  Pavia  in  honour  of  the  con- 
quering young  king.  This  wonderful  lion  was  so  contrived,  that 
by  means  of  hidden  machinery  it  walked  by  itself  straight  up  to 
the  king's  throne,  where  it  disgorged  vast  quantities  of  fleur-de-lis, 
in  compliment  to  his  Majesty. 

We  might,  perhaps,  scarcely  credit  that  the  great  Leonardo 
occupied  himself  with  such  king's  playthings  as  this,  although 
they  were  the  fashion  of  his  age,  and  many  good  artists  besides 


So  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA    VINCI. 

himself  did  not  disdain  to  design  them,  but  that  we  are  told  by 
Vasari,  and  all  writers  who  have  written  upon  the  subject,  that 
Leonardo  delighted  to  amuse  himself  with  curious  and  appa- 
rently useless  inventions.  "One  day,"  says  Vasari,  ''the  vine- 
dresser of  the  Belvedere  found  a  very  curious  lizard,  and  for 
this  creature  Leonardo  constructed  wings,  made  from  the  skins 
of  other  lizards  flayed  for  the  purpose  ;  into  these  wings  he  put 
quicksilver,  so  that  when  the  animal  walked,  the  wings  moved  also 
with  a  tremulous  motion.  He  then  made  eyes,  horns,  and  a 
beard  for  the  creature,  which  he  tamed  and  kept  in  a  case  ;  he 
would  then  show  it  to  the  friend  who  came  to  visit  him,  and  all 
who  saw  it  ran  away  terrified.  He  more  than  once  likewise 
caused  the  intestines  of  a  sheep  to  be  scraped  and  cleansed  until 
they  were  brought  into  such  a  state  of  tenuity  that  they  could 
be  held  in  the  hollow  of  the  hand ;  having  then  placed  in  a 
neighbouring  chamber  a  pair  of  blacksmith's  bellows,  to  which 
he  had  made  fast  one  end  of  the  intestines,  he  would  blow  into 
them  until  he  caused  them  to  fill  the  whole  room,  which  was  a 
large  one,  insomuch  that  whoever  might  be  therein  was  obliged 
to  take  refuge  in  a  corner ;  he  thus  showed  them  transparent 
and  full  of  wind,  remarking  that  whereas  they  had  previously 
been  contained  in  a  small  compass,  they  were  now  filling  all 
space,  and  this,  he  would  say,  was  a  fitting  emblem  of  genius. 
He  made  an  infinity  of  such  follies  as  this,  and  likewise  occupied 
himself  with  mirrors  and  optical  instruments  and  with  the  most 
singular  experiments  in  seeking  oils  for  painting  and  varnishes 
to  preserve  the  work  when  executed." 

What  Vasari  designates  as  follies  or  whims  (pazzie),  may  pos- 
sibly have  been  the  tentative  experiments  of  an  inductive  philoso- 
pher seeking  for  knowledge  on  the  expansibility  of  gases  or  some 
such  subject  of  inquiry,  but  the  ordering  of  entertainments  with 
such  pretty  little  diversions  {entremetz)  as  walking  lions  and  roll- 
ing planets  can  hardly  be  construed  into  philosophical  studies. 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA    VINCL  ^^^^■ 


But,  as  before  said,  Leonardo's  character  was  made  up  of 
contradictions.  No  man,  it  would  seem,  ever  changed  so  rapidly 
"  from  grave  to  gay,  from  lively  to  severe."  A  philosopher,  an 
artist,  a  courtier ;  he  played  all  three  parts  with  equal  facility,  and 
changed  from  one  to  another  with  incredible  rapidity. 

One  of  his  strange  contradictions  was  a  strong  love  of  carica- 
ture. He,  the  priest  of  ideal  beauty,  seems  also  to  have  been  a 
worshipper  of  ideal  ugliness.  Numerous  are  the  caricature  heads 
that  he  has  left  us  in  which  some  peculiar  deformity  of  feature 
is  exaggerated  with  comical  effect.^  Indeed,  such  was  his  appre- 
ciation of  the  grotesque  in  the  human  countenance,  that  if  he 
saw  anyone  of  remarkable  ugliness  or  peculiarity  of  visage,  he 
could  not  rest  satisfied  until  by  some  means  or  other  he  had 
recorded  the  impression  produced  upon  him.  With  this  strange 
end,  Lomazzo  tells  us,  Leonardo  would  frequently  invite  peasants 
and  rustic  clowns  to  dine  with  him,  and  keeping  them  in  roars 
of  laughter  with  all  sorts  of  buffoonery,  would  carefully  mean- 
while note  their  gestures  in  their  boisterous  mirth,  and  after- 
wards, retiring  into  his  room,  would  transfer  their  contorted  faces 
to  paper. 

In  like  manner  it  is  said  that  he  would  sometimes  attend  the 
execution  of  criminals,  in  order  that  he  might  watch  their  dying 
agonies,  and  study  the  muscular  contractions  of  their  limbs.  And 
this  in  spite  of  his  being  so  tender-hearted,  that  it  is  related  by 
Vasari  that  he  could  not  pass  by  the  places  where  caged  birds 
were  sold  without  buying  some  for  the  purpose  of  restoring  them 
to  liberty. 

It  was  as  one  of  the  court  of  Francis  I.  that  Leonardo  once 
more  met  Leo  X.  at  Bologna,  the  place  fixed  upon  for  an  inter- 

^  Many  of  these  were  engraved  by  Wenceslaus  Hollar,  and  published  in  a 
small  quarto  in  1786.  See  also  "  Recueil  de  Testes  de  Caractere  et  de  Charge 
dessinees  par  Leonard  de  Vinci  et  gravees  par  M.  le  C.  de  C."  Paris,  1730;  and 
Chamberlaine,  "  Original  Designs  of  the  most  celebrated  Masters,"  181 2. 

G 


82  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL 

view  between  the  new  king  and  the  new  Pope.  Here,  if  he 
cared  to  use  it,  was  a  great  opportunity  for  triumphing  over 
those  who  had  neglected  and  underrated  him  at  Rome,  for  here 
the  grand  old  painter  was  almost  as  great  a  man  as  the  grand 
young  monarch. 

Francis   I.  when  in   Milan,  tried,  as  before   related,  to  carry 
away  with  him  the  "  Last  Supper"  to  France,  but  failing  in  this, 
he  determined  to  carry  away  the  painter  of  it,  that  he  might, 
if   possible,  produce  still    more   glorious  works  in  his   service. 
Leonardo  acceded  to  the  king  s  desire.     There  was  nothing  now 
left  him  in  Italy.     Milan,  under  the  government  of  Lautrec,  was 
no  place  for  an  artist-philosopher  of  peaceful  proclivities.     His 
dreams  would  be  constantly  liable  to  be  broken  in  upon  by  revo- 
lutions.    In  his  native  Florence  he  had  already  experienced  the 
truth  of  the  proverb,  that  a  prophet  is  without  honour  in  his 
own  country  j  and  at  Rome  also,  where  he  ought  to  have  formed 
a  splendid  triumvirate  with  Michael  Angelo  and  Raphael,  he  had 
found  himself  coldly  treated,  and  his  genius  to  some  extent  dis- 
paraged, though  probably  only  because  it  was  not  sufficiently 
known.     All  his  great  works  had  been  done  far  away  in  Milan, 
and  critics  in  Rome  had  only  the  fame  he  had  acquired  in  that 
city  to  set  against  the  splendid  works  of  his  rivals  that  they  had 
constantly  before  their  eyes.        Had  he  been  content  to  have 
remained  at   Rome,  and  to  have  put  forth  his  powers  in  some 
great  work  like  the   "  Last  Judgment "   of  Michael  Angelo,  or 
the  "  School  of   Athens "    of    Raphael,  it  is  probable  that  he 
would  have  overcome  all  the  obstacles  that  opposed  him,  and 
would   have  taken  his  rightful  place  among  the  artists  of  that 
wonderful  blooming  time  of  art  that  reached  its  perfection  in  the 
Rome  of  Leo  X.     But  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that,  seeing 
his  place,  as  he  doubtless  deemed  it,  already  occupied  in  Rome, 
he  should  have  endeavoured  to  heal  the  wounds  he  had  received 
in  his   own  country  by  accepting  the  munificent  offers  of  the 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCL  83 

French' king,  who  deemed  his  conquests  in  Italy  imperfect  unless 
he  conquered  also  Italy's  painter. 

Accordingly,  when  in  the  January  of  15 16  Francis  I.  re- 
turned to  France  after  his  first  short  but  brilliant  campaign  in 
Italy,  he  took  with  him  Leonardo  da  Vinci  ^  as  one  of  the  chief 
fruits  of  his  success. 

Leonardo,  it  is  pleasant  to  think,  did  not  go  forth  alone  to 
the  French  Canaan  that  was  set  before  him  in  his  old  age.  His 
beloved  pupil  and  friend,  Francesco  Melzi,  Salai,  and  his  at- 
tached servant  Villanis,  accompanied  him  to  France  as  they 
had  done  to  Rome. 

On  the  arrival  of  these  artist  emigrants,  Francis  I.  installed 
them  in  the  chateau  of  Cloux,  or  Cloux  de  Murailles,  as  it  is 
called  in  the  documents  of  that  time,^  a  small  chateau  situated 
just  outside  the  walls  of  the  king's  castle  at  Amboise.  Besides 
this  residence  and  his  pension,  Leonardo  was  allowed  horses  for 
his  use  to  go  to  Blois,  Paris,  St.  Germain,  and  Fontainebleau, 
wherever  the  king  might  be  holding  his  court,  and  the  right  of 
directing  all  artistic  undertakings  in  France.  The  chateau  of 
Cloux,  according  to  a  description  given  of  it  by  Pierre  Morin, 
Treasurer  of  France  and  Mayor  of  Tours,  who  sold  it  to 
Charles  VIII.  in  1490,  must  have  been  a  most  delectable  re- 
treat for  a  weary  artist,  with  its  woods,  meadows,  willow  planta- 
tions, gardens,  and  fishpond.^ 


*  Or  he  followed  shortly  after  the  king's  departure. 

2  It  is  now  Clos-Luce,  the  small  fief  of  Luce  having  been  united  to  the  Clos, 
or  old  Chateau. 

^  The  old  document  concerning  the  sale  runs  as  follows,  but  perhaps  it  was 
drawn  up  somewhat  in  the  style  of  a  modern  auctioneer's  advertisement  of  the 
property  he  desires  to  sell : — 

"  C'est  assavoir  Tostel  du  Cloux  prbs  le  chastel  d' Amboise,  duquel  a  plusieurs 
corps  d'ostel,  contenant,  tant  en  edifices  que  jardins,  vivier,  bois,  deux  arpents 
et  demy  de  tenue  ou  environ. 

"  Ensemble  le  lieu  de  Maisibres  ainsi  qu'il  se  poursuit  et  comporte  en  maisons, 


84  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCL 

Here,  in  the  great  salon  that  seems  to  have  served  him  as 
atelier,  he  might  surely  embody  some  of  the  many  ideals  that 
he  had  floating  in  vague  beauty  in  his  mind  ;  here  he  might 
perfect  his  theories  in  natural  science,  might  watch  the  flight  of 
birds  as  he  had  before  done  at  Fiesole,  and  endeavour  to  learn 
their  secret  of  flying ;  might  listen  to  the  sound  of  falling  water, 
as  at  Rimini,  and  measure  its  harmonies  ;  might  meditate  on  the 
mysteries  of  nature,  nor  quail  before 

"  The  mighty  range 
Of  secret  truths  that  yearn  for  birth." 

But  it  is  not  always  the  most  fortunate  conditions  that  are  most 
favourable  to  genius.  The  greatest  works  are  often  those  that 
have  been  produced  under  the  greatest  outward  restraint  and 
difficulty.  Leonardo,  at  ease  in  his  chateau  in  France,  with  his 
dearest  friends  near  him,  enjoying  the  appreciative  patronage  of 
a  king,  courted  and  admired  by  all,  and  looked  up  to  by  the 
French  painters  as  a  kind  of  god  descended  among  them ;  Leo- 
nardo the  painter,  natural  philosopher  and  practical  engineer, 
did  nothing.  He  could  not  even  be  prevailed  on,  Vasari  tells 
us,  to  paint  the  cartoon  of  St.  Anna,  that  he  had  brought  with 
him  from  Italy  for  the  purpose  but  "  kept  the  king  a  long  time 
waiting  with  nothing  better  than  words."  From  the  time  he 
entered  France,  indeed,  he  seems  to  have  fallen  into  a  kind  of 
languor  that  increased  the  natural  dilatoriness  of  his  nature. 
Although  now  an  old  man,  he  was  younger  than  Michael  An- 
gelo  when  he  accomplished  his  stupendous  ''  Last  Judgment;" 

granges,  fuye,  pr^s  et  saullaye,  le  tout  Cloux  k  murailles,  aussi  contenant  quatre 
arpens  ou  environ  et  joygnant  audit  lieu  du  Cloux  et  tout  en  une  tenue,  et  ses 
appartenances.  Ensemble  une  pibce  de  prd  et  saullaye  assise  hors  la  dite  muraille 
contenant  demy  arpent  ou  environ. 

"  Item  I'ostel,  terre  et  seigneurie  de  Lucd  pres  ladite  ville  d'Amboise,  contenant 
en  maisons,  granges  et  terres  quinze  arpents  de  tenue  ou  environ  en  cinq  pieces." 

*  Before  mentioned  as  being  now  in  the  Royal  Academy. 


THE   VIRGIN   SEATED    IN   THE   LAP   OF   SAINT   ANNE. 
In  tJie  Louvre. 


■.J  Mni    /.    (::•{■[ /.ny    v.wi 


7^v^ 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL  85 

than  Titian  when  he  painted  some  of  his  finest  works  ;  than 
Tintoretto  when  he  executed  his  seventy-four  feet  of  "  Paradise  " 
in  the  ducal  palace.  But  Leonardo's  strength,  put  forth  in  so 
many  different  directions  in  youth  and  middle  life,  did  not  last 
him  through  a  protracted  old  age,  as  in  the  case  of  these 
painters.  From  the  time  of  his  retirement — or  exile,  as  perhaps 
he  considered  it — into  France,  he  no  longer  occupied  himself 
with  plans  for  any  great  work,  or  at  all  events  he  never  put  his 
plans  into  execution,  nor,  with  the  exception  of  the  canal  of 
Romorentin,  for  which  designs  have  been  found  among  his 
manuscripts,  does  he  seem  to  have  been  consulted  on  any 
engineering  undertaking  such  as  had  occupied  so  much  of  his 
time  in  Milan.^ 

It  was  evidently  as  an  artist  that  he  was  valued  in  France ; 
and  it  was,  perhaps,  in  the  hope  that  he  would  establish  a 
French  Academy,  and  found  a  School  of  Art  in  France  as 
he  had  done  at  Milan,  that  Francis  I.  brought  him  across 
the  Alps.  The  French  school  at  this  time  had  scarcely  ad- 
vanced beyond  manuscript  illumination,  in  which  it  had  excelled 
as  early  as  the  fourteenth  century.  Jean  Fouquet,  ''peintre  et 
enlumineur"  to  Louis  XL,  had  carried  this  branch  of  painting 
to  great  perfection ;  but  Louis  XIL,  in  his  wars  in  Italy,  had 
seen  some  of  the  great  monumental  works  of  Italian  art,  and 
Francis  L,  treading  in  his  footsteps,  had  conceived  the  idea  of 
importing  the  Italian  style  into  France,  an  idea  which,  as  before 
said,  he  probably  hoped  to  carry  out  by  means  of  Leonardo, 
but  which  he  only  succeeded  in  doing  when,  many  years  after, 
he  invited  II  Rosso  (Maitre  Roux),  Primaticcio,  and  Nicolo  del- 
TAbbate,  to  decorate  his  palace  at  Fontainebleau.     These  artists 


^  In  the  "  Codex  Atlantico,"  we  find  a  little  note  saying  that  on  the  Vigil  of 
St.  Anthony,  two  days  after  the  departure  of  the  king,  he  set  out  from  Romo- 
rentin for  Amboise.  This  was  probably  in  January,  15 18.  This  is  one  of  the 
very  few  records  that  have  been  found  of  his  residence  in  France. 


86  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL 

undoubtedly  imported  Italian  art  into  France,  but  it  was  the  art 
of  the  decadence,  the  art  of  the  Italian  mannerists,  that  they  im- 
ported, and  by  this  means,  says  Viardot,  threw  the  nascent 
French  school,  "  des  son  berceau  dans  la  decadence  anticipee  ou 
semblait  se  mourir  Tart  itallen." 

We  know  not  what  might  have  been  the  result  had  Leonardo 
been  the  teacher  of  the  French  artists  and  the  founder  of  a 
French- Italian  school,  instead  of  these  extravagant  masters,  who 
formed  what  is  known  as  the  Fontainebleau  school,  an  eclectic 
school  distinguished  by  its  violent  exaggeration ;  but  the  founder 
and  director  of  the  renowned  Milan  Academy,  in  which  so  many 
excellent  artists  were  trained,  had  now  lost  the  enthusiasm  and 
energy  of  his  youth,  and  cared  not  to  trouble  himself  about 
another  Vincian  academy.  He  had  no  direct  French  pupils  or 
followers,  although  his  art  was  greatly  admired  in  France,  and  he 
himself  was,  according  to  Michelet,  ''I'objet  d'une  telle  idolatrie, 
qu'a  son  ^ge  de  quatre-vingts  ans^  il  changea  la  mode,  fut  copie 
par  le  roi  et  toute  la  cour  pour  les  habits,  pour  la  coupe  de  barbe 
et  de  cheveux." 

Living  so  close  to  the  castle  of  Ambolse,  where  Francis  I. 
frequently  resided,  Leonardo  was  not  allowed,  we  may  well 
suppose,  to  give  up  his  old  courtly  habits  ;  indeed,  we  find  him  as 
at  Milan,  directing,  or  at  least  suggesting,  some  of  the  entertain- 
ments at  the  fetes  given  in  April,  1 5 1 7,  on  the  occasion  of  the 
baptism  of  the  infant  son  of  Francis  I.,  and  the  celebration  of 
the  marriage  of  Lorenzo  de'  Medici,  Duke  of  Urbino,  with  a 
daughter  of  the  Duke  of  Bourbon.^ 


*  He  was  only  sixty-four  when  he  went  to  France. 

^  Fleurange,  a  French  chronicler  of  the  time,  gives  the  following  description 
of  these  fetes,  in  which,  although  Leonardo  is  not  mentioned,  it  is  probable  that 
he  took  part,  they  being  held  at  Amboise  : — "  Le  baptesme  fut  faict  au  plus  grand 
triomphe  qui  feust  possible,  et  comme  un  tel  cas  appartient ;  car,  sans  les  princes 
de  France,  y  avoient  beaucoup  de  princes  estrangers  et  ambassadeurs.     Et  estoit 


LIFE    OF   LEONARDO   DA    VINCL  87 

When  the  court  quitted  Ambolse,  Leonardo  was  permitted, 
perhaps,  to  enjoy  the  seclusion  of  his  Httle  chateau,  though 
Arsene   Houssaye,  who  has  studied  this  period  of  Leonardo's 

toute  la  cour  d'Amboise  et  tendue  k  arabesques,  tout  le  dessus,  qu'il  n'y 
pouvoit  pleuvoit ;  et  estoient  les  deux  costes  le  dessus  tout  tendus  -,  et  fut  \k- 
dessous  fait  le  banquet,  qui  feust  merveilleusement  triumphant ;  et  feust  dance  et 
balle  \  merveilles.  Et,  trois  jours  apres,  feurent  faictes  les  nopces  dudit  due 
d'Urbin  k  la  plus  jeune  fille  de  Boulongne,  qui  estoit  tres  belle  dame  et  jeune ; 
car.  Monsieur  d'Albanie  avoit  espouse  I'aisnee ;  et  ce  propre  jour  le  Roy  le  fist 
chevalier  de  son  ordre.  Et,  en  autres  dames,  il  y  avoit  soixante  et  douze 
damoiselles  deguisees,  toutes  par  douzaine,  accoustrees  de  toutes  sortes,  I'une 
k  I'italienne,  Tautre  k  I'allemande,  et  toutes  ensuivant  d'autres  sortes,  pour  mieux 
dancer ;  et  avoient  les  tambourins  et  les  musiciens  de  mesme.  Et  estoient  au 
banquet  la  mariee  et  tous  les  princes,  assis  k  la  table  du  Roy,  tant  de  France  que 
les  estrangers,  et  tous  les  ambassadeurs,  chacun  selon  leur  ordre;  et  la  Royne  et 
Madame  sa  mere  estoient  de  I'aultre  bout  assises ;  et  faisoient  merveilleusement 
beau  veoir  tout  cela ;  car  on  portoit  tout  les  mets  avec  des  trompettes.  Et 
quand  le  souper  fut  faict,  feurent  les  danses  et  les  carolles  jusques  k  une  heure 
apres  minuit ;  et  y  faissoit  aussi  clair  qu'en  plain  jour;  les  flambeaux  et  torches  y 
estoient ;  et  dura  le  festin  jusqu'a  deux  heures  apres  minuit :  et  alors  on  mena 
coucher  la  mariee,  qui  estoit  trop  plus  belle  que  le  marie.  Et  le  lendemain 
se  fisrent  les  joustes  les  plus  belles  qui  feurent  oncques  faites  en  France  ni  en  la 
chrestiente ;  et  feust  huict  jours  de  long  le  combat  dedans  les  lices  et  hors  des 
lices,  et  a  pied,  k  la  barriere,  la  oil  k  tous  les  combats  estoit  le  due  d'Urbin, 
nouveau  marie,  qui  faisoit  le  mieux  qu'il  pouvoit  devant  sa  mie.  Et  y  feust 
faict,  entre  aultres  choses,  une  fagon  de  toumois,  apres  ceux-lk  que  je  ne  vis  en 
ma  vie  qu'en  ces  lieux;  car  le  Roy  fist  faire  une  ville  contrefaicte  de  bois, 
environnee  de  fosses,  tout  en  plain  champ,  assez  grande,  et  y  avoit  faict  mener 
quatre  grosses  pieces  d'artillerie,  canons  et  doubles  canons,  et  tiroient  a  la  vollee 
pardessus  ladicte  ville,  comme  si  on  eust  voulu  faire  batterie.  Et  feust  le  plus 
beau  combat  qu'on  ait  oncques  veu,  et  le  plus  approchant  du  naturel  de  la 
guerre.  Mais  le  passe-temps  ne  plut  pas  \  tous,  car  il  y  en  eust  beaueoup  de 
tues  et  affoles.  Cela  faict,  on  se  departist,  qui  feust  chose  mal  aisee  a  faire ;  et 
eust  este  bien  pire,  si  chevaulx  et  gens  n'eussent  este  hors  d'haleine;  car,  tant 
que  haleine  leur  dura,  ils  combattirent.  Apres  les  toumois  faicts,  qui  durerent 
un  mois  ou  six  sepmaines,  le  Roy  despescha  le  due  d'Urbin  pour  retoumer  en 
Italie,  et  sa  femme  avecques  lui ;  et  les  conduisit  le  due  d'Albanie,  que  le  Roy 
envoya  embassadeur  devers  le  pape ;  lequel  a  servit  merveilleusement  bien  pour 
les  affaires  du  Roy,  et  y  print  amitie  si  grande,  que  depuis  elle  a  dure  entre  le 
Roy  et  la  maison  de  Medicis.  Et  apres  ce,  Monsieur  de  Lorraine  se  retira  en 
Lorraine,  et  la  pluspart  des  princes  de  France  en  leurs  maisons." 


88  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL 

life  with  more  care  than  he  has  bestowed  on  other  portions  of 
it,  tells  us  that  even  when  the  court  was  absent,  pleasant  society 
was  not  wanting  in  Amboise,  that  some  of  the  priests  and 
monks  of  the  convent  were  learned  men  with  whom  Leonardo 
might  feel  a  pleasure  in  associating,  and  that  poets,  artists, 
doctors,  and  astrologers,  who  had  come  with  the  court,  often 
lingered  behind  for  a  time,  making  Amboise  one  of  the  "  points 
lumineux  du  seizieme  siecle." 

And  yet,  with  all  these  distractions,  this  friendly  society,  this 
peaceful  abode  and  lovely  nature,  Leonardo  fell  into  languor  and 
lay  sick,  Vasari  tells  us  for  many  months,  until  finally,  "  finding 
himself  near  death,  he  wrought  diligently  to  make  himself  ac- 
quainted with  the  Catholic  ritual,  and  with  the  good  and  holy 
path  of  the  Christian  religion.  He  then  confessed  with  great 
penitence  and  many  tears,  and  although  he  could  not  support 
himself  on  his  feet,  yet,  being  sustained  in  the  arms  of  his 
servants  and  friends,  he  devoutly  received  the  Holy  Sacrament 
while  thus  out  of  his  bed." 

This  sentence  of  Vasari's,  even  as  it  thus  stands  in  his  second 
edition,  in  which  it  is  considerably  modified,^  certainly  implies 
that  it  was  only  when  he  found  himself  dying  that  Leonardo 
entered  upon  the  "  good  and  holy  path  of  the  Christian  religion." 
And  in  another  place  in  the  first  edition  of  his  "  Lives,"  Vasari, 
after  speaking  of  Leonardo's  natural  philosophy,  his  investiga- 
tion of  the  properties  of  plants,  and  his  observations  on  the 
heavenly  bodies,  adds,  that  ''  by  this  means  he  conceived  such 
heretical  ideas,  that  he  did  not  belong  to  any  religion,  but 
esteemed  it  better  to  be  a  philosopher  than  a  Christian."  ^ 


*  In  the  first  edition  it  ran  thus  : — "  Finalmente  venuto  vecchio,  stette  molti 
mesi  ammalato ;  e  vedendosi  vicino  alia  morte,  disputando  delle  cose  cattoliche 
ritomando  nella  via  buona  si  ridusse  alia  fede  cristiana  con  molti  pianti." 

2  "  Per  il  che  fece  nell'  animo  un  concetto  si  eretico,  che  e'  non  si  accostava  a 
qualsivoglia  religione,  stimando  per  sventura  assai  piU  lo  esser  filosofo,  che 
cristiano." 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA    VINCL  89 

This  passage  was  omitted  for  some  reason  by  Vasari  in  his 
second  edition  ;  still  the  notion  remained,  to  the  grief  of  many- 
orthodox  admirers,  that  the  great  Leonardo  was,  to  say  the 
least,  indifferent  as  to  religion,  or  had  imbibed  the  rationalistic 
principles  prevalent  in  Italy  in  his  time.  It  was  only  when  his 
last  will  and  testament — a  testament  written,  as  we  shall  see,  in 
the  most  orthodox  phraseology — was  discovered  about  sixty 
years  ago,  that  critics  began  to  think  that  Vasari's  statement 
must  have  been  Ill-founded,  and  that  Catholics  might  after  all 
claim  the  painter  of  the  "Last  Supper"  as  a  devout  son  of 
their  Holy  Mother  Church.  "  Sans  ce  precleux  document," 
says  Rio,  who  is,  of  course,  especially  anxious  to  clear  Leonardo 
from  this,  in  his  eyes,  fatal  charge  of  heresy,  "  I'lmputatlon 
calomnleuse  de  Vasari  contre  les  sentiments  rellgieux  de 
Leonard  aurait  pese  eternellement  sur  la  memoire  du  plus  grand 
gdnie  que  I'ltalie  etit  prodult  depuls  Dante,  et  I'absence  de  toute 
refutation  contemporaine  de  la  calomnle  aurait  mis  a  neant  les 
protestations  de  ceux  que  la  beaute  presque  divine  des  ceuvres 
rendait  Instinctivement  incredules  sur  la  depravation  intellectuelle 
de  Touvrler." 

But  in  spite  of  this  Catholic  testament  that  recommends  the 
testator's  soul  ''  to  God,  the  glorious  Virgin  Mary,  his  lordship 
St.  Michael,  and  all  the  beautiful  angels,  saints,  and  salntesses  of 
Paradise,"  and  that  has  given  so  much  satisfaction  to  simple  pious 
minds,  we  need  not  altogether  disregard  Vasari's  evident  belief  in 
Leonardo's  heretical  opinions.  Fortunately  the  charge  of  heresy  is 
not  such  a  formidable  one  at  the  present  day  as  in  the  sixteenth 
century,  when  the  Inquisition  deemed  it  a  duty  to  inquire  into 
it,  and  when  unquestioning  obedience  to  the  Church  of  Rome 
was  insisted  upon  as  the  only  safe  means  of  attaining  everlast- 
ing happiness.  In  Leonardo's  time  Inquiry  was  looked  upon  as 
a  crime,  and  the  path  of  natural  science  was  deemed  a  dangerous 
deviation  from  the  straight  road  of  faith.     Even  a  century  later, 


90  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCI. 

Galileo,  as  we  know,  had  to  retract  and  do  penance  for  his 
discovery  of  the  movement  of  the  earth  ;  and  it  is  perhaps 
surprising,  considering  Leonardo's  daring  study  of  physical 
phenomena,  that  it  should  not  have  drawn  upon  him  a  more 
severe  judgment  than  that  of  Vasari.  Artists  favoured  of  princes, 
however,  escaped  many  evils  to  which  less  fortunate  mortals 
would  have  been  doomed,  as  we  learn  most  forcibly  by  Bene- 
venuto  Cellini's  scandalous  career ;  and  it  is  not  impossible  that 
it  was  owing  to  this  circumstance  that  Leonardo  was  enabled  to 
pursue  his  scientific  researches  without  drawing  upon  himself 
the  fearful  charge  of  magic  or  heresy,  so  easily  made  in  his  day. 
But  although  the  charge  of  magic  and  heresy  on  such  grounds 
as  these  has  now  become  absurd,  it  is  difficult  to  believe  that  the 
aspiring  mind  of  Leonardo  did  not  burst  through  the  bonds  of 
Catholic  thraldom  as  well  as  through  the  bonds  of  Aristotelian 
dogma.  The  scattered  fragments  of  his  manuscripts  contain 
hints  rather  than  assertions  of  great  discoveries,  that  are,  as 
Hallam  writes^  "  according  to  our  common  estimate  of  the  age  in 
which  he  lived,  more  like  revelations  of  physical  truths  vouch- 
safed to  a  single  mind,  than  the  superstructure  of  its  reasoning 
upon  any  established  basis.  The  discoveries  which  made 
Galileo,  Kepler,  Castelli,  and  other  names  illustrious — the  system 
of  Copernicus — the  very  theories  of  recent  geologists  (and  it 
may  be  added  botanists^),  are  anticipated  by  Da  Vinci  within 
the  compass  of  a  few  pages,  not,  perhaps,  in  the  most  precise 
language,  or  on  the  most  conclusive  reasoning,  but  so  as  to 
strike  us  with  something  like  the  awe  of  preternatural  know- 


*  "  History  of  the  Literature  of  Europe." 

2  See  ''  Nuovo  Giomale  Botanico  Italiano,"  quoted  in  "  Nature,"  vol.  ii.  p.  42, 
which  gives  some  interesting  extracts  from  his  treatise  on  "Trees  and  Vegetation  " 
(pubhshed  in  the  Roman  edition  of  the  "  Trattato  della  Pittura"),  showing  that  in 
these  short  notes  intended  for  students  he  had  actually  anticipated  the  discovery 
of  certain  botanical  laws  generally  attributed  to  savants  of  a  much  later  age. 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI.  91 

ledge.  In  an  age  of  so  much  dogmatism,  he  first  laid  down  the 
grand  principle  of  Bacon,  "  that  experiment  and  observation  must 
be  the  guides  to  just  theory  in  the  investigation  of  nature." 
Venturi,  also,  in  his  "  Essai  sur  les  ouvrages  Phisico-Mathema- 
tiques  de  Leonard  de  Vinci,"  claims  Leonardo  as  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  inductive  method,  and  Sir  Charles  Lyell  as  one 
who  "  first  applied  sound  reasoning  to  the  facts  of  geology,  and 
who  taught  the  organic  origin  of  fossils."  ^ 

The  greatest  philosophers,  it  is  true,  have  often  the  most  child- 
like faith.  It  may  have  been  that  Leonardo  whilst  exploring  the 
whole  kingdom  of  nature  never  ventured  to  doubt  of  those 
kingdoms  of  heaven  and  hell  of  which  he  was  taught  St.  Peter 
held  the  keys  ;  but  if  he  did  ever  doubt,  it  is  impossible  to  believe 
that  such  a  mind  as  his  should  have  been  driven,  as  Vasari 
implies,  to  a  death-bed  repentance  and  renunciation  of  his 
former  opinions  by  the  terrors  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

This  is  the  real  "  calumny,"  and  not  the  withdrawn  passage 
concerning  his  **  heretical  ideas." 

Another  statement  of  Vasarl's  relating  to  the  death  of 
Leonardo  was  also  long  believed  and  is  now  vehemently  dis- 
puted. Vasari,  as  is  well  known,  makes  Leonardo  die  In  the 
arms  of  Francis  I.  After  speaking  of  his  devout  reception  of  the 
Holy  Sacrament,  before  quoted,  he  continues  :  "  The  king,  who 
was  accustomed  frequently  and  affectionately  to  visit  him,  came 
immediately  afterwards  to  his  room,  and  he,  causing  himself  out 
of  reverence  to  be  raised  up,  sat  in  his  bed  describing  his 
malady  and  the  different  circumstances  connected  with  it, 
lamenting  besides  that  he  had  offended  God  and  man,  not 
having  worked  in  art  as  he  ought  to  have  done.  He  was  then 
seized  with  a  violent  paroxysm,  the  forerunner  of  death,  when 
the  king,  rising  and  supporting  his  head  to  give  him  such  assistance 


1  « 


Principles  of  Geology,"  vol.  i. 


92  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCL 

and  do  him  such  favour  as  he  could,  in  the  hope  of  alleviating 
his  sufferings,  the  spirit  of  Leonardo,  which  was  most  divine, 
conscious  that  it  could  attain  to  no  greater  honour,  breathed  its 
last  in  the  arms  of  the  king." 

This  circumstantial    narrative,  like    many  others    related   by 
Vasari,  has  been  found  to  be  open  to  considerable  doubt. 

In  the  first  place  it  has  been  distinctly  proved  that  Leonardo 
died  at  Cloux  on  the  2nd  of  May,  15 19,  while  Francis  L,  it  would 
appear,  was  at  St.  Germain-en- Laye  at  that  date,  awaiting  the 
accouchement  of  his  queen.  It  is  true  that  the  ordinance  signed 
by  the  king  at  St.  Germain  on  the  ist  of  May,  and  quoted  by 
Venturi  as  a  proof  of  his  presence  there  on  that  day,  is  not 
conclusive,  for  it  appears  that  such  ordinances  might  be  signed 
in  the  absence  of  the  king  by  his  secretary  ;^  but  a  journal  of  the 
time  of  Francis  I.  preserved  in  the  "  Bibliotheque  Nationale  "  at 
Paris  makes  no  mention  of  any  journey  of  the  king  at  this  date, 
and  etiquette,  it  is  known,  demanded  his  presence  at  that  par- 
ticular time- at  the  Court  of  St. -Germain.  Moreover,  Melzi,  in 
his  letter,  announcing  the  death  of  Leonardo  to  his  brothers,  does 
not  allude  to  the  circumstance  of  his  dying  in  the  king  s  arms, 
which  he  would  most  likely  have  done  had  such  been  the  case ; 
and  Lomazzo,  who  also  must  have  known  something  of  the 
matter,  expressly  states  that  "  Francis,  king  of  France,  wept  when 
he  heard  from  Melzi  that  II  Vinci  was  dead,  who  had  painted 
the  Last  Supper  in  Milan,  a  work  beyond  all  others." 

"  Pianse  mesto  Francesco,  re  di  Franza, 

Quando  il  Melzi  che  morto  era  gli  disse 

II  Vinci,  che  in  Milan,  mentre  che  visse, 
La  Cena  pinse,  che  ogni  altr'  opera  avanza." 

All  these  small  facts  combined  form  a  strong  argument 
against  Vasari,  and  have  led  to  an  almost  universal  disbelief  in 

*  Aim^  Champollion,  "  Revue  universelle  des  Arts,"  quoted  by  Houssaye. 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL  93 

his  pretty  story,  especially  as  the  hypothesis  started  by  Dufresne, 
and  adopted  by  several  writers,  that  Leonardo  died  at  Fontalne- 
bleau,  has  proved  untenable/ 

Still,  however,  several  modern  French  critics  hold  to  the 
truth  of  the  traditionary  narrative,  affirming,  that  as  Vasari  knew 
Melzi,  of  whom  he  speaks  as  "a  handsome  and  amiable  old' 
man,"  that  he  probably  gained  the  details  of  Leonardo's  death 
from  him,  who,  as  he  was  present  at  the  time,  must  have  known 
them  correctly.^  It  is  still  open,  therefore,  to  those  who  love  to 
cling  to  ancient  tradition  and  poetical  legend,  as  being  often 
more  truthful  than  petty  fact,  to  believe  in  Vasari's  story,  there 
being  no  direct  proof  of  its  falsity. 

There  remains  to  be  recorded  one  other  circumstance  con- 
cerning Leonardo's  last  days  at  Ambolse  that  is  fortunately 
beyond  suspicion  of  unveracity.  It  is  one  of  those  dry,  legal 
documents  with  which  painstaking  modern  historians  have  such 
pleasure  in  sweeping  away  the  pretty  cobwebs  spun  by  their 
predecessors — the  last  will  and  testament  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci 
— the  "  precieux  document "  spoken  of  by  Rio  as  refuting  the 
calumnious  imputation  of  Vasari. 

It  was  made  on  the  23rd  day  of  April,  15 18,  before  Easter,^ 
and  runs  as  follows  : — 

^  This  mistake  probably  arose  from  a  Flemish  painter  of  the  name  of  Leonard 
being  employed  by  II  Rosso  when  he  was  decorating  the  Palace  of  Fontainebleau 
in  1530.     In  Leonardo's  time  Fontainebleau  was  a  mere  hunting  box. 

*  It  seems  probable  from  other  statements  that  Vasari  knew  something  of 
Melzi,  but  the  passage  that  Houssaye  quotes  in  support  of  this  opinion  is  taken 
from  Lomazzo.  This  argument,  therefore,  as  Uzielli  points  out,  is  of  no  value,  for 
Lomazzo  never  mentions  the  circumstances  of  Leonardo's  death,  which  he 
probably  would  have  done  had  he  heard  the  wonderful  relation  from  Melzi. 

^  The  year,  it  must  be  remembered,  began  at  that  time  at  Easter,  not  on  the 
ist  of  January,  so  that  only  nine  days  elapsed  between  the  making  of  the  will 
and  Leonardo's  death  on  the  2nd  of  May,  although  the  date  seems  a  year  in 
advance.  This  difference  of  reckoning  often  causes  a  confusion  in  the  records  of 
Leonardo's  life. 


94  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCL 

"  Be  it  manifest  to  every  person  present  and  to  come  that  at 
the  court  of  the  King  our  Lord  at  Amboise  before  us  personally 
constituted,  that  Master  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  painter  to  the  king, 
for  the  present  residing  in  the  place  called  dtc  Cloux,  near 
Amboise,  considering  the  certainty  of  death  and  the  uncertainty 
of  his  time,  has  acknowledged  and  confessed  in  the  said  court 
before  us,  to  whom  he  has  submitted  and  submits  himself,  con- 
cerning what  shall  be  done  by  the  tenour  of  his  present  testa- 
ment and  the  ordering  of  his  last  will  as  follows  : — 

**  Firstly,  he  recommends  his  soul  to  our  sovereign  Lord  and 
Master,  God,  to  the  glorious  Virgin  Mary,  to  our  Lord  (Monsi- 
gnore)  St.  Michael,  and  to  all  the  beatified  angels  and  saints  (santi 
e  sante)  of  Paradise. 

"  Item.  The  said  testator  desires  to  be  buried  in  the  church  of 
Saint  Florentin  at  Amboise,  and  that  his  body  be  carried  there 
by  the  chaplains  (cappellani)  of  that  place. 

"  Item.  That  his  body  be  accompanied  from  the  said  place  to 
the  said  church  of  Saint  Florentin  by  the  college  (chapter)  of 
the  said  church,  and  also  by  the  rector  and  prior,  or  by  the 
vicars  and  chaplains  of  the  church  of  Saint  Denis  d' Amboise,  as 
well  as  by  the  minor  friars  of  the  said  place. 

"  And  that  before  his  body  be  carried  to  the  said  church,  the 
testator  desires  that  there  should  be  three  high  masses  cele- 
brated in  the  said  church  of  Saint  Florentin  with  deacon  and 
subdeacon,  and  that  on  the  same  day  there  shall  also  be  said 
thirty  low  masses  of  St.  Gregory. 

"  Item.  In  the  said  church  of  Saint  Denis  a  like  service  shall 
be  celebrated,  and  also  in  the  church  of  the  said  friars  and 
minors. 

"  Item.  The  aforesaid  testator  gives  and  concedes  to  Messire 
Francisco  da  Melzi,  gentleman  of  Milan,  in  gratitude  for  the 
services  that  he  has  rendered  him  in  times  past,  all  and  every 
one  of  the  books  that  the  said  testator  now  possesses,  and  other 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL  95 

instruments  and  drawings  concerning  his  art  and  the  profession 
of  painter. 

"  Item.  The  testator  gives  and  concedes  for  ever  and  per- 
petually to  Battista  da  Villanis,  his  servant,  the  half  of  a  garden 
that  he  has  outside  the  walls  of  Milan,  and  the  other  half  of  his 
garden  to  Salai  his  servant,  in  which  garden  the  aforesaid 
Salai  has  built  and  constructed  a  house  which  shall  be  and  shall 
remain  for  ever  the  property  of  the  said  Salai,  and  of  his  heirs 
and  successors,  and  this  in  recompense  of  the  good  and  kind 
service  that  the  aforesaid  Villanis  and  Salai  have  rendered  him 
hitherto. 

"  Item.  The  same  testator  gives  to  his  maid  servant  Mathu- 
rine  a  garment  of  good  cloth  trimmed  with  fur,  a  hood  of  black 
cloth  trimmed  with  fur,  and  ten  ducats,  paid  at  one  time,  and 
this  also  in  recompense  of  the  good  services  of  the  said 
Mathurine  up  to  the  present  day. 

"  Item.  He  wishes  that  at  his  obsequies  there  shall  be  sixty 
torches  carried  by  sixty  poor  persons,  who  shall  be  paid  for 
carrying  them  according  to  the  discretion  of  the  said  Melzi, 
which  torches  shall  be  shared  among  the  four  churches  above- 
named. 

''  Item.  The  said  testator  gives  to  each  one  of  the  said 
churches  ten  pounds  of  wax  in  large  candles,  which  shall  be  sent 
to  the  said  churches  to  be  made  use  of  on  the  day  in  which  the 
services  above  named  shall  be  celebrated. 

*'  Item.  That  alms  shall  be  given  to  the  poor  of  the  Hotel- 
Dieu,  and  to  the  poor  of  Saint  Lazare  at  Amboise,  and  that 
for  this  purpose  there  shall  be  given  and  paid  to  the  treasuries  of 
each  brotherhood  the  sum  of  seventy  sous  tournois. 

"  Item.  The  testator  gives  and  concedes  to  the  said  Francesco 
Melzi,  present  and  accepting,  the  remainder  of  his  pension,  and 
the  small  sums  due  to  him  at  the  present  time  and  up  to  the 
day  of  his  death  by  the  receiver  or  treasurer-general,   M.  Jean 


96  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL 

Sapin,  and  all  and  every  of  the  sums  that  he  has  already 
received  from  the  said  Sapin  on  the  said  pension.  This,  in  case 
he  dies  before  the  Melzi,  and  not  otherwise,  which  sums  are 
at  present  in  the  possession  of  the  testator,  in  the  said  place 
of  Cloux. 

"  And  likewise  he  gives  and  concedes  to  the  said  Melzi  all 
and  every  of  the  vestments  that  he  has  at  present  in  the  said 
place  of  Cloux,  not  only  in  gratitude  for  the  good  and  loving 
services  that  he  has  rendered  him  up  to  this  day,  but  also  for 
the  service,  interruption  of  work,  and  trouble  that  he  will  have 
to  take  in  the  execution  of  the  present  testament,  although  all  is 
to  be  at  the  expense  of  the  said  testator.  He  desires  and 
ordains  that  the  sum  of  four  hundred  golden  crowns  (scudi  del 
sole)  that  he  has  put  in  deposit  in  the  hands  of  the  chamberlain 
of  Sancta  Maria  de  Nova,  in  the  city  of  Florence,  be  given  to 
his  carnal  brothers  resident  in  Florence,  with  what  profit  and 
emolument  may  be  due  upon  them  up  to  the  present  time  by  the 
said  chamberlain  to  the  said  testator,  from  the  day  in  which  they 
were  consigned  by  the  said  testator  to  the  said  chamberlain. 

'*  Item.  The  said  testator  wills  and  ordains  that  the  said 
Francesco  Melzi  shall  be  and  remain  alone  in  all  and  for  all 
executor  of  the  present  testament,  and  that  the  said  testament 
shall  have  its  entire  effect  concerning  all  that  is  set  down  in  it  to 
be  held,  guarded  and  observed,  and  the  said  Messer  Leonardo 
da  Vinci,  the  testator,  has  obliged  and  obliges  by  these  presents, 
his  heirs  and  successors,  with  all  his  goods,  movable  and 
immovable,  and  has  renounced  and  renounces  by  these  presents 
expressly  every  and  each  thing  to  the  contrary. 

"  Given  at  the  said  place  of  Cloux  in  presence  of  the  Magistro 
Spirito  Fieri,  vicar  in  the  church  of  Saint  Denis  d'Amboise, 
M.  Guillaume  Croysunt,  priest  and  chaplain  ;  Magistro  Cyprian 
Fulchin ;  brothers  Fran9ois  de  Corton  and  Francois  de  Milan, 
monks  of  the  convent  of  the  minor  friars  of  Amboise,  called  to 


LA    VIKRGK    AU    FLEUR-DK-IA'S. 

fn  the  Albani Palate,  Riwi,'. 

[Qui^ry  l>y  Liiiiii.\ 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCL  97 

be  witnesses  by  the  judgment  of  the  said  court.  In  presence  of 
the  said  Francesco  da  Melzi,  accepting  and  commenting,  who. 
has  promised  by  the  faith  and  oath  of  his  body  given  by  him 
corporeally  into  our  hands  never  to  do,  come,  go  or  say  to  the 
contrary. 

"  And  sealed  by  his  request  by  the  royal  seal  attached  to  legal 
contracts  at  Amboise,  and  this  in  sign  of  truth. 

"Given  on  the  23rd  day  of  April,  15 18,  before  Easter. 

"And  on  the  same  23rd  of  April,  15 18,  in  presence  of 
M.  Guillaume  Boreau,  royal  notary  in  the  court  of  the  bailiwick 
of  Amboise,  the  aforesaid  M.  Leonardo  da  Vinci  has  given  and 
conceded  by  his  testament  and  last  will  to  the  above  mentioned 
Battista  di  Villanis,  present  and  accepting,  the  right  of  the  water 
that  the  king  of  happy  memory,  Louis  XIL,  lately  defunct, 
formerly  gave  to  the  said  Vinci  in  the  course  of  the  canal  of 
Saint  Christopher,  in  the  duchy  of  Milan,  to  be  enjoyed  by  the 
said  Villanis  in  such  a  manner  and  form  as  the  said  lord  made 
present  of  it.  In  presence  of  M.  Francesco  da  Melzo,  gentle- 
man of  Milan  and  myself. 

"  And  on  the  same  day  of  the  same  month  of  April,  in  the 
same  year,  15 18,  the  same  M.  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  by  his  testa- 
ment and  last  will  as  above,  gives  to  the  said  Battista  di  Villanis, 
present  and  accepting,  all  the  furniture  and  utensils  belonging  to 
him  in  the  said  place  of  Cloux.  In  case  always  that  the  said 
Villanis  survives  the  aforesaid  Leonardo  da  Vinci. 

"In  presence  of  the  said  Francesco  da  Melzo,  and  of  me,  the 

notary. 

"(Signed)         Boreau.^" 

Nine  days  after  the  making  of  this  testament,  on  the  2nd  of 
May,  1 5 19,  Leonardo's  spirit  breathed  its  last  on  this  earth,  and 
went  to  its  appointed  place  in  God's  universe. 

*  See  Appendix. 
H 


98  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA    VINCL 

His  body  was  laid,  as  he  desired,  under  the  flagstones  of  the 
church  of  Saint  Florentin  at  Amboise,  and  the  following  epitaph 
is  given  by  Vasari  as  having  been  made  upon  him  : —  ' 

"  Leonardus  Vincius  !  Quid  Plura  ?  Divinum  Ingenium, 

DiviNA  Manus, 

Emori  in  Sinu  Regio  Meruere. 

Virtus  et  Fortuna  hoc  Monumentum  Contingere  graviss. 

Impensis  Curaverunt." 

Another  was  also  added,  says  Vasari,  which  truly  honoured 
him  :— 

"  Et  gentem  et  patriam  noscis ;  tibi  gloria  et  ingens 

Nota  est,  hac  tegitur  nam  Leonardus  humo. 
Perspicuas  picturae  umbras,  oleoque  colores 

Illius  ante  alios  docta  manus  posuit. 
Imprimere  ille  hominum  divum  quoque  corpora  in  3ere 

Et  pictis  animam  fingere  novit  equis." 

Neither  of  these  epitaphs,  however,  appear  to  have  been 
inscribed  on  Leonardo's  tomb,  nor  indeed  is  it  certain  that  a 
tomb  was  ever  raised  to  him ;  though  it  is  probable  that  Melzi 
took  care  that  the  grave  of  the  great  Italian  painter  should  not 
remain  undistinguished  in  a  foreign  country. 

But  the  fatality  that  seemed  to  pursue  Leonardo  in  his  works 
fell  likewise  upon  his  grave.  The  religious  wars  that  devastated 
France  soon  after  his  death  were  rife  at  Amboise  as  elsewhere, 
and  had  little  respect  for  the  churches  or  the  churchyards,  in 
which  tradition  asserts  the  graves  were  violated  and  the  bones 
that  they  contained  scattered.  At  all  events,  before  the  revolu- 
tion of  1 789  no  tomb  of  any  note  remained  in  the  church  where 
Leonardo  was  buried,  and  in  1808  the  church  itself  was 
demolished  by  order  of  the  senator,  Roger  Ducos.  So  complete 
was  the  destruction,  that  even  the  gravestones  were  sold,  and  the 
lead  coffins  melted  down  for  the  sake  of  their  metal.  No  feeling 
of  reverence  or  respect  for  the  dead  seems  to  have  interfered  to 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA    VINCL 


99 


prevent  the  most  wanton  carelessness.  The  bones  and  skulls  of 
the  tenants  of  the  coffins  were  cast  on  one  side,  and  were  even 
picked  up  as  playthings  by  children/ 

At  last  the  gardener  of  the  place,  indignant  at  such  profana- 
tion, of  his  own  accord  dug  a  large  grave  and  buried  in  it  all  the 
remains  that  he  could  find  about. 

After  this  all  was  forgotten,  and  when  pilgrims  from  Italy 
inquired  after  the  grave  of  the  great  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  they 
found  only  a  waste  spot,  covered  with  dibris  and  weeds,  where 
the  church  of  St.  Florentin  had  formerly  stood.  This  was  the 
state  of  things  when  De  Pagave,  in  the  eighteenth  century, 
made  inquiries  on  the  subject,  and  endeavoured  to  learn 
whether  any  monument  had  been  erected  to  Leonardo's 
memory.  Nothing  could  then  be  found,  although  a  few  old 
inhabitants  of  Amboise  asserted  that  there  had  once  been  a 
tomb  in  memory  of  a  painter  named  Leonardo  in  the  choir  of 
the  church.  But  if  so,  church  and  tomb  had  alike  perished,  and 
there  seemed  no  chance  of  ever  identifying  the  spot  where 
Leonardo  lay. 

The  search  was  therefore  given  up  as  hopeless,  until 
M.  Arsene  Houssaye,  Leonardo's  latest  biographer,  reinstituted 
it  with  fresh  ardour  in  1863.  The  result  of  his  discoveries  may 
as  well  be  given  in  his  own  enthusiastic  language  : — "  Ce  fut," 
he  tells  us,  "  avec  un  profond  sentiment  de  respect  que  j'entrepris 
des  fouilles  pour  retrouver  le  tombeau  de  Leonardo  de  Vinci. 
Les  grandes  figures  dans  les  arts  et  les  lettres  sont  de  la  famille 
de  tous  ceux  qui  tiennent  un  pinceau  ou  une  plume.  Nous 
avons  tous  un  peu  d'amour  filial  dans  nos  admirations  et  nos 
enthousiasmes  pour  les  chefs-d'ceuvre  de  ces  peres  de  notre 
esprit."      This   feeling  of   "filial   love"   and   enthusiasm   was 


*  "  Les  enfants  venaient  tous  les  jours  jouer  avec  les  morts ;  les  cranes  et  les 
tibias  n'^taient  plus  qu'un  jeu  de  boules  et  de  guilles." — Houssaye. 


loo  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCI. 

greatly  excited  by  an  old  villager  to  whom  M.  Houssaye 
was  conducted,  who  appeared  to  know  a  great  deal  about  "  ce 
brave  Leonard,"  as  he  called  the  great  painter.  "  Ah,"  he  said, 
"  I  often  think  I  see  him  walking  along  there,"  indicating  the 
road  that  Leonardo  must  have  taken  in  his  walks  from  Clos 
Luce  to  the  castle.  "Who  told  you,"  asked  M.  Houssaye," 
"  that  he  went  that  way  ?"  "Why,  I  have  seen  him  myself;  I 
had  good  eyes  then."  "  My  good  man,"  replied  the  disappointed 
interrogator,  "  you  remember  too  much  ;  Leonardo  died  three 
centuries  before  you  were  born."  But  the  old  man  persisted  in 
his  statements,  and  led  the  way  to  the  cemetery,  where  he 
pointed  out  the  tomb  of  his  "  brave  Leonard,"  an  unknown 
painter  of  that  name,  who  had  worked  and  died  like  his  great 
predecessor  at  Amboise.  Undaunted  by  this  mistake,  M. 
Houssaye  continued  his  labours.  "  Le  mardi  23  juin  on  donna 
le  premier  coup  de  pioche  en  presence  du  maire  et  de  I'archi- 
pretre  d'Amboise.  Je  mis  les  ouvriers  sur  trois  points  :  les  uns 
pour  reconnaitre  les  fondations  de  I'^glise,  les  autres  pour  retrouver 
Tossuaire,  ceux-ci  pour  rechercher  les  tombeaux." 

The  foundations  of  the  church  were  soon  discovered.  Several 
tombs  containing  skeletons  in  a  good  state  of  preservation  were 
brought  to  light.  Several  fragments  of  sculpture  and  broken 
stones  with  illegible  inscriptions  were  also  dug  up,  but  still, 
although  he  examined  many  skulls,  M.  Houssaye  tells  us,  "  Je 
sentais  que  je  n  avals  pas  encore  trouve  la  belle  tete  de  Leonard 
de  Vinci."  At  last,  on  the  20th  of  August,  a  very  old  tomb  was 
laid  bare  just  on  the  spot  that  tradition  had  pointed  out  as  the 
grave  of  Leonardo.  It  was  near  a  cherry  tree,  "  dont  les 
cerises  n'dtaient  si  bonnes  que  parcequ'elles  poussaient  sur  des 
morts,"  the  gardener's  daughter  had  before  assured  M.  Hous- 
saye. She  was  right.  The  roots  of  the  cherry-tree  had  pene- 
trated into  the  coffin  and  upset  the  vase  of  charcoal  that  it 
contained.     "  On  ddcouvrit  le  squelette  avec  un  grand  respect. 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCL  loi 

....    Apres   avoir   d^tourn^    quelques   poign^es   de  terre   et 
quelques  racines  nous  vimes  une  grande  physionomie  dans  la 

majestd  de  la  mort La  tete  dtait  appuyee  sur  la  main 

comme  pendant  le  sommeil.  C'est  le  seul  squelette  retrouv6 
dans  cette  position,  qu'on  ne  donne  jamais  aux  morts,  et  qui 
semble  familiere  a  un  penseur  fatigue  par  T^tude.  Le  beau 
front  semblait  encore  habitd  par  la  meditation."  Coins  were 
also  found  in  or  near  the  tomb,  one  a  silver  crown  of  the  time  of 
Francis  L,  and  two  other  undecipherable  pieces  that  might 
easily  be  Italian  money.  At  the  feet  of  the  skeleton  were 
fragments  of  sandals. — *'  Peut-on  y  voir  la  sandale  du  voyageur 
venu  de  loin  qui  se  couche  apres  avoir  bien  rempli  sa  journee  ? 
(Certainly  if  one  has  only  the  vivid  imagination  of  M.  Hous- 
saye.)  Tous  ceux  qui  regardaient  avaient  la  foi ;  mais  pourtant 
nul  n'osait  dire  :  Ici  fut  LSonard  de  Vinci.  On  recuellit  avec 
piete  les  ossements,  les  vases,  les  monnaies,  les  cheveux  ou  la 
barbe,  ce  qui  restait  de  la  robe  et  des  sandales,  apres  quoi  on 
chercha  dans  les  decombres  voisins  si  la  terre  avare,  qui  cache 
souvent  une  page  d'histoire  pour  la  restituer,  ne  donnerait  pas 
un  mot  pour  appuyer  notre  foi." 

Under  these  circumstances  the  greedy  earth  thought  it  best 
to  yield  its  hidden  treasures,  and  a  fragment  of  flagstone  with 
the  letters  "  N.  C."  was  discovered,  which  on  being  washed 
yielded  *•  I  "  before  the  "  N.  C."  They  searched  again,  and  this 
time  two  bits  of  stone  were  found,  one  of  which  bore  the  name 
of  St.  Luke,  the  patron  saint  of  painters,  and  his  symbolic  ox  ;  only 
unfortunately  this  was  not  on  the  same  kind  of  stone  as  the 
letters  had  been.  They  sought  farther  off,  and  another  bit  of 
flagstone  was  turned  up  with  the  letters  *'  L.  E.  O." 

"Pour  moi,"  says  M.  Houssaye,  "ces  trois  lettres  disaient 
presque,  Leonard  de  Vinci." 

Whether  these  letters  will  prove  quite  as  convincing  to  calm 
critics  not  led  away  by  the  excitement  of  the  discovery  is  perhaps 


I02  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCL 

doubtful,  but  in  any  case  M.  Houssaye  merits  our  thanks  for  his 
persistent  search  and  our  fullest  acknowledgment  of  the  value  of 
its  results.  Every  mark  of  honour  has  indeed  always  been  paid 
in  France  to  the  great  Italian  who  died  in  her  land. 

Italy,  also,  last  year  bethought  herself  of  one  of  her  greatest 
sons,  and  erected  a  noble  statue  to  his  memory  at  Milan.  The 
figure  of  the  painter  is  very  simply  treated  by  the  sculptor,  Signor 
Pietro  Magni.  He  stands  on  a  pedestal  apparently  absorbed  in 
meditation.  At  the  four  corners  are  placed  statues  of  his 
principal  scholars — Cesare  da  Sesto,  Marco  d'Oggione,  Beltraffio, 
and  Andrea  Solario.  A  loan  exhibition  of  Leonardo's  works 
opened  at  Milan  about  the  same  time  as  the  unveiling  of  the 
statue  drew  forth  about  three  hundred  paintings  of  his  school 
from  their  hiding  places  in  Italian  palaces  and  monasteries. 

Francesco  da  Melzi  was,  as  we  have  seen,  Leonardo's  sole 
executor.  To  him  he  bequeathed  all  those  vast  manuscript 
treasures  in  which  lay  imbedded,  as  jewels  in  a  bed  of  quartz, 
germs  of  great  truths,  first  thoughts,  hints  at  discoveries,  dim 
revelations  of  scientific  facts  hereafter  to  be  re-discovered  by 
others,  careless  jottings-dowii  of  vague  ideas  and  stores  of  know- 
ledge such  as  it  would  seem  almost  impossible  for  one  man  to 
have  accumulated,  but  which  lay  in  such  direful  confusion  that 
neither  Melzi  nor  any  other  of  his  pupils  dared  attempt  the  task 
of  working  this  dark  and  disorganized  mine.  Melzi  when  an 
old  man  still  treasured  Leonardo's  anatomical  drawings  as  relics, 
and  "  set  great  store  by  them,"  Vasari  tells  us,  "  together  with 
the  portrait  of  Leonardo  of  blessed  memory."^  Certain  other 
writings  treating  of  painting,  design,  and  colouring,  were,  how- 
ever, in  Vasari's  time  in  the  possession  of  a  painter  of  Milan 
whose  name  is  not  given.     "  This  artist,"  adds  Vasari,  "  came  to 


^  These  were  probably  the  drawings  now  in  the  Windsor  Collection.     The 
portrait  also  is  supposed  to  be  the  one  now  at  Windsor. 


STATUE   OF   LEONARDO   AT  MILAN. 


LIFE    OF   LEONARDO   DA     VINCI,  103 

see  me  in  Florence  no  long  time  since ;  he  had  then  an  intention 
of  publishing  this  work,  and  took  it  with  him  to  Rome,  there  to 
give  his  purpose  effect,  but  what  was  the  end  of  the  matter  I 
do  not  know." 

This  work  was,  doubtless,  the  celebrated  "  Trattato  della 
Pittura,"  or  some  portion  of  it ;  but  the  Milanese  artist  did  not,  it 
would  seem,  carry  out  his  intention  of  publishing  it  at  Rome,  for 
it  first  appeared  in  Paris,  in  165 1,  in  a  thin  folio  volume  edited 
by  Raphael  du  Fresne,  and  illustrated  by  cuts  from  the  drawing 
of  Nicolo  Poussin  and  Alberti,  the  former  having  designed  the 
human  figures,  and  the  latter  the  geometrical  and  other  repre- 
sentations. The  aid  of  these  artists  was  probably  necessary, 
Leonardo's  drawings  for  his  work  being  too  slight  to  be  intelli- 
gible without  further  interpretation.  Poussin's  drawings  were 
merely  in  outline,  but  shadows  and  slightly  sketched  backgrounds 
were  afterwards  added  by  Errard.  This  first  edition  was  in 
Italian,  printed  from  a  manuscript  copy  in  Du  Fresne's  possession, 
but  in  the  same  year,  165 1,  a  French  translation  appeared  by 
Frdart;*  and  another  in  1716,  which  was  followed  by  an  English 
translation  in  1 72 1 .  Since  then  numerous  editions  have  appeared, 
the  most  important  being  that  of  Amoretti  in  1804,  and  the 
Roman  edition  from  the  MSS.  in  the  Vatican,  published  by 
Manzi  in  1807.  ^^  ^^^  also  been  translated  into  most  European 
languages,  and  still  forms,  as  Schorn  remarks,  ''  one  of  the  best 
guides  and  counsellors  of  the  painter." 

The  **  Trattato  della  Pittura"  is,  indeed,  an  epitome  or  en- 
cyclopaedia of  the  painters  art  in  all  its  branches.  It  is  written 
in  the  driest  and  briefest  possible  style,  nearly  every  one  of  its 
short  chapters  being  capable  of  indefinite  enlargement.  Its 
instructions,  as  before  stated,  are  clear  and  wonderfully  concise, 

^  Author  of  the  "  Parallel  of  Ancient  and  Modem  Architecture,"  translated 
into  English  by  Evelyn. 


I04  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA     VINCL 

but  the  work,  as  a  whole,  strikes  one  as  being  a  grand  but  ill- 
constructed  pyramid  whose  stones  do  not  fit  neatly  into  one 
another.  "  II  se  refuse,"  says  Charles  C16ment,^  *'  a  toute  analyse ; " 
and  indeed  its  editors  must  have  had  a  difficult  task  in  reducing 
its  chaotic  confusion  even  into  such  order  as  they  have  attained. 

How  far  the  "  Trattato"  in  its  present  form  can  indeed  be  con- 
sidered as  an  original  work  by  Leonardo  is  more  than  any  critic 
seems  able  to  determine.  Dr.  Max  Jordan,  who  has  recently 
published  an  elaborate  research  on  the  subject,^  after  a  most 
careful  study  of  the  various  versions  and  editions  of  the ''  Trattato," 
and  the  sources  from  which  they  have  been  drawn,  seems  to 
have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  "  Trattato,"  as  we  now  know 
It,  is  but  a  compilation  made  in  the  first  instance  by  the  disciples 
and  friends  of  Leonardo  from  scattered  writings  and  notes,  none 
of  which  were  altogether  original.  At  all  events,  none  of  the 
known  manuscripts  from  which  the  ''Trattato"  has  been  printed 
are  in  Leonardo's  own  handwriting,  which  is  too  peculiar  to  be 
mistaken.^ 

It  is  possible,  however,  that  the  French  MSS.,  that  have  never 
been  properly  examined,  may  contain  the  original  notes  for  the 
"  Trattato,"  from  which  all  others  have  been  taken.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  before  long  that  some  one  will  undertake  the  task  of 
analyzing  and  describing  this  vast  mass  of  unknown  treasure. 

The  only  other  of  Leonardo's  manuscripts  besides  the  "■  Trat- 
tato della  Pittura"  that  has  been  published  is  the  "  Trattato  del 
Moto  e  Misura  dell'  Acqua." 

Unfortunately  Leonardo's  other  treatises  have  met  with  less 
attention  than  that  on  painting,  yet  we  know  that  he  left  im- 

*  "  Michel- Ange,  Leonard  da  Vinci  et  Raphael,"  1861. 

2  "  Untersuchungen  iiber  das  Malerbuch  des  Leonardo  da  YincV—Jahrbucher 
fur  Kufistwissenschaft^  Leipzig,  1873. 

^  Dr.  Jordan  gives  a  facsimile  of  the  writing  of  the  Vatican  MS.,  and  also  of 
Leonardo's  own  writing,  and  the  two  are  as  unlike  as  possible. 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL  105 

portant  manuscript  works,  or  as  they  may  perhaps  more  correctly 
be  called,  speculative  notes  and  reflections  on  hydraulics,  me- 
chanics, geometry,  and  mathematics,  and  that  optics,  astronomy, 
chemistry,  botany,  and  indeed  every  branch  of  natural  science 
engaged  his  attention.  Venturi,  in  his  essay  before  mentioned 
on  the  physico-mathematical  works  of  Leonardo,^  first  gave  some 
idea  of  the  extent  of  Leonardo's  knowledge  on  these  subjects ; 
but  he  only,  as  it  were,  let  a  lighted  candle  down  a  deep  well ; 
we  see  that  there  is  water  there,  but  only  a  bucketful  or  two  has 
as  yet  been  brought  up.^ 

This  is  chiefly  owing  to  the  confused  state  in  which  Leonardo 
originally  left  his  notes,  and  to  their  present  scattered  condition. 3 
The  history  of  the  Vinci  MSS.  is,  in  fact,  almost  as  disastrous  as 
that  of  the  Last  Supper,  and  so  many  of  his  other  works.  Even 
in  Melzi's  time,  some,  as  we  have  seen,  must  have  passed  out  of 
his  possession,  and  Melzi's  son  appears  to  have  parted  with  them 
with  the  greatest  indifference.  About  the  end  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  however,  most  of  the  manuscripts  were  collected  in  the 
Ambrosian  at  Milan  ;  but  the  French,  in  their  last  conquest  of 
Milan  by  Napoleon,  possessed  themselves  of  fourteen  of  the 
principal,  leaving  only  two,  that  now  form  the  *'  Codex  Atlantico" 
at  Milan.  As  the  French  have  seldom  deemed  it  necessary  to 
return  their  acquisitions  of  war,  the  big  folio  volume  containing 
some  of  the  most  important  writings  of  Leonardo  still  remains 
in  the  Bibliotheque  Nationale  at  Paris.  It  consists  of  392 
pages,  and  bears  the  following  title  printed  in  gold  : — "  Disegni 


*  Published  in  1797. 

2  The  "  Codex  Atlantico "  that  still  remains  at  Milan  has  lately  been 
examined,  and  the  results  given  in  a  folio  work,  "Saggio  delle  Opere  di  Leonardo 
da  Vinci."  Milan,  1872.  This  is,  we  may  hope,  a  step  towards  the  pubHcation 
of  the  whole  of  the  manuscripts. 

^  For  example,  one  page  of  the  "  Trattato  del  Moto  "  is  at  Venice,  others  at 
Milan,  and  others  at  Paris  and  London. 


io6  LIFE    OF   LEONARDO    DA     VINCI. 

DI    MACCHINE   DELLE    ARTI    SECRETI    ET   ALTRE    COSE    DI    LEONARDO 

DA  Vinci  raccolte  da  Pompeo  Leoni."  Many  other  manu- 
scripts are  to  be  found  in  other  collections,  and  especially  may 
be  mentioned  the  volume  in  the  Arundel  Collection  in  the 
British  Museum.  This  contains,  like  most  of  the  others,  rough 
notes,  chiefly  on  mathematics  and  physics,  with  various  arith- 
metical and  geometrical  problems.  Several  of  the  personal 
memoranda,  however,  before  quoted,  occur  in  this  volume.^ 

There  is  also  another  MS.  by  Leonardo  in  England  preserved 
at  Holkham.  All  the  manuscripts  that  are  in  Leonardo's  own 
handwriting  are  written  backwards  from  right  to  left,  and  have 
in  consequence  to  be  read  by  means  of  a  looking-glass  in  order 
to  be  at  all  intelligible  to  ordinary  students.  The  orthography 
also  is  very  peculiar.  It  has  been  supposed  that  he  adopted 
this  strange  mode  of  writing  in  order  to  guard  his  immature  dis- 
coveries and  theories  from  the  prying  eyes  of  the  curious  ;  but 
he  seems  to  have  been  a  great  deal  too  careless  and  indifferent 
to  take  this  trouble  to  hide  his  ideas.  He  threw  his  mind  out, 
in  truth,  with  the  same  prodigality  as  he  did  his  money.  It  was 
sufficient  for  him  to  conceive,  any  one  was  welcome  to  execute. 
The  peculiarity  of  his  writing  is  better  accounted  for  by  Paciolo, 
who  asserts  positively  that  Leonardo  was  left-handed.  He 
probably  invented  it  as  easiest  to  himself  in  the  first  instance, 
and  retained  it  as  being  original  and  individual.  He  could, 
however,  write  when  he  liked  in  the  usual  manner,  as  is  proved 
by  several  of  his  letters,  written  from  left  to  right  in  ordinary 
caligraphy. 

Of  his  poetical  writings  (we  are  expressly  told  by  Vasari  that 
he  was  an  improvisatore)  only  one  sonnet  remains  preserved  to 
us  by  Lomazzo,  and  this  is  a  moral  rather  than  a  poetical 
effusion.     Very  different  from  the  sonnets  of  Michael  Angelo, 

*  See  "  Printed  Catalogue  of  the  Arundel  MSS."p.  79. 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL  107 

in   which   we    find   the   deep   melancholy   of  the   artist's   soul 
expressed.     Leonardo  only  gives  us  this  good  advice — 

"  Chi  non  pub  quel  che  vuol,  quel  che  pu6  voglia  ; 

Chfe  quel  che  non  si  pub  folle  b  volere ; 

Adunque  saggio  T  uomo  b  da  ten  ere 

Che  da  quel  che  non  pub  suo  vogler  toglia. 

Perb  che  ogni  diletto  nostro  e  doglia 

Sta  in  si  e  no  saper,  voler,  potere ; 

Adunque  quel  sol  pub,  che  vol  dovere, 

Ne  trae  la  ragion  fuor  di  sua  soglia, 

Nb  sempre  b  da  voler  quel  che  1'  uom  pote  ; 

Spesso  par  dolce  quel  che  toma  amaro. 

Piansi  gik  quel  ch'  io  volsi,  poi  ch'  io  T  ebbi ; 

Adunque  tu,  lettor  di  queste  note, 

S'  a  te  vuoi  esser  buono,  e  agli  altri  caro, 

Vogli  sempre  poter  quel  che  tu  debbi." 

Which  may  be  translated — 

'*  Who  cannot  do  as  he  desires,  must  do 
What  lies  within  his  power.     Folly  it  is 
To  wish  what  cannot  be.     The  wise  man  holds 
That  from  such  wishing  he  must  free  himself. 
Our  joy  and  grief  consist  alike  in  this  ; 
In  knowing  what  to  will  and  what  to  do  ; 
But  only  he  whose  judgment  never  strays 
Beyond  the  threshold  of  the  right  learns  this. 
Nor  is  it  always  good  to  have  one's  wish ; 
What  seemeth  sweet  full  oft  to  bitter  turns. 
My  tears  have  flown  at  having  my  desire. 
Therefore,  O  reader  of  these  lines,  if  thou 
Wouldest  be  good,  and  be  to  others  dear, 
Will  always  to  be  able  to  do  right." 

Francesco  Melzi  remained  in  France  for  some  time  after 
the  death  of  Leonardo,  retained  there  perhaps  by  the  desire 
of  Francis  L ;  but  it  is  not  known  whether  he  executed  any 
paintings  during  his  stay,  or  at  what  date  he  returned  to 
Italy. 

On  the  I  St  of  June,  15 19,  nearly  a  month  after  Leonardo's 


io8  LIFE    OF   LEONARDO    DA    VINCI. 

death,  we  find  him  writing  the  following  letter  to  the  brothers  of 
Leonardo,  not,  as  it  would  seem,  to  acquaint  them  with  the 
death  of  Leonardo,  which  he  supposes  has  already  been  certified 
to  them,  but  to  inform  them  of  all  concerning  their  interests  in 
the  will. 

Francesco  Melzi  to  Giuliano  da  Vinci  and  his  brothers. 

*'  To  Ser  Giuliano  and  his  honoured  brothers — 

*'  I  BELIEVE  that  the  death  of  your  brother,  Maestro  Leo- 
nardo, has  already  been  certified  to  you.  He  was  to  me  the  best 
of  fathers,  and  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  express  the  grief  that 
his  death  has  caused  me.  Until  the  day  when  my  body  is  laid 
under  the  ground,  I  shall  experience  perpetual  sorrow,  and  not 
without  reason,  for  he  daily  showed  me  the  most  devoted  and 
warmest  affection. 

"  His  loss  is  a  grief  to  everyone,  for  it  is  not  in  the  power  of 
nature  to  reproduce  another  such  a  man.  May  the  Almighty 
accord  him  everlasting  rest.  He  passed  from  the  present  life 
on  the  2nd  of  May  with  all  the  sacraments  of  holy  Mother 
Church,  and  well  disposed  to  receive  them.  The  reason  that 
he  was  able  to  make  a  will,  leaving  his  goods  to  whom  he  liked, 
was  on  account  of  his  possessing  a  letter  from  the  king 
exempting  him  quod  heredes  supplicantis  sint  regnicolce.  Without 
such  a  letter  he  would  not  have  been  able  to  will  away  anything 
he  possessed  here,  this  being  the  custom  of  the  country. 
Maestro  Leonardo  accordingly  made  his  will,  which  I  should 
have  sent  to  you  sooner  had  I  been  able  to  confide  it  to  a  trust- 
worthy person.  I  expect  that  one  of  my  uncles  who  has  been 
to  see  me  will  soon  return  to  Milan.  I  will  depose  it  in  his 
hands,  and  he  will  faithfully  remit  it  to  you.  Up  to  the  present 
time  I  have  not  found  other  means  of  sending  it.  In  so  much 
as  concerns  your  part  in  the  will.  Maestro  Leonardo  possessed 
in  the  Santa  Maria  Nuova,  in  the  hands  of  the  treasurer,  four 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA    VINCL  109 

hundred  gold  crowns  (scudi  di  sole)  in  notes  which  have  been 
placed  out  at  five  per  cent,  for  the  last  six  years  counting  from 
last  October.  He  had  also  an  estate  at  Fiesole  that  he  wished 
to  be  distributed  equally  among  you.  There  is  nothing  more 
concerning  you  in  the  will,  and  I  will  say  no  more  except  to  offer 
you  my  most  willing  service.  You  will  find  me  ready  and 
anxious  to  do  your  will. 

"  I  recommend  myself  continually  to  you. 

'*  Given  at  Amboise  the  ist  of  June,  15 19. 

"  Please  reply  by  the  Gondi 

"  Tanquam  fratri  vestro, 

"  Franciscus  Mentius." 

Of  Leonardo's  brothers  we  hear  no  more,  except  in  a  procura- 
tion made  by  Antonio  da  Vinci  to  Lorenzo,  his  brother,  in  June, 
1520,  and  in  another  made  by  Bartolommeo  and  Giovanni  da 
Vinci  to  Lucrezia,  their  mother,  on  the  8th  of  July,  1820,  but 
a  son  of  Bartolommeo,  Pierino  da  Vinci,  is  mentioned  as 
having  acquired  a  considerable  reputation  as  an  artist,  and  two 
other  Vincis  were  celebrated  in  music  in  the  17th  century,  but  it 
is  not  certain  whether  they  belong  to  Leonardo's  family.'  The 
family,  however,  is  still  in  existence,  and  a  certain  Tommaso 
Vinci  of  the  present  day  has  communicated  a  few  family  docu- 
ments to  Sig.  Uzielli.  The  father  of  this  Tommaso  appears  to 
have  once  had  some  manuscripts  of  Leonardo's  in  his  possession 
which  he  gave  up  to  a  painter,  of  whom  no  trace  can  be  found, 
in  exchange  for  some  engravings  by  Morghen.^ 

De  Villanis,  after  Leonardo's  death,  stayed  in  France  in  the 
service  of  Francesco  Melzi,  as  we  find  by  an  act  of  conveyance 

^  A  cantata  with  words  by  Metastasio,  is  preserved  in  the  British  Museum 
under  the  name  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  but  more  Hkely  it  is  the  composition  of 
the  musician  Vinci,  whose  name  was  also  Leonardo. 

2  Uzielli,  "  Ricerche." 


"o  LIFE    OF  LEONARDO   DA    VINCI. 

dated  the  29th  of  August,  15 19,  in  which  he  is  described  as  "at 
present  servant  to  the  nobleman,  M.  Francesco  da  Melzo, 
gentleman  of  Milan,  and  pensioner  of  the  King  our  Lord."  This 
deed  conveys  the  half  of  the  garden  at  Milan,  left  him  by 
Leonardo  da  Vinci,  to  Girolamo  Melzi,  the  uncle  of  his  new 
master.^ 

Salai,  on  the  other  hand,  appears  to  have  returned  at  once  to 
Italy  (at  least  we  have  no  further  record  of  him  in  France), 
where  he  continued  to  work  on,  or  from,  Leonardo's  designs. 
Indeed,  he  adopted  his  master's  style  so  successfully,  that  as 
Rio  admits,  "  L'oeil  le  plus  exerc6  pent  se  laisser  tromper  par  la 
ressemblance."  The  Virgin  on  the  knees  of  St.  Anne  in  the 
Louvre  is  attributed  to  him  by  many  critics,  while  others  see  in 
it  a  genuine  work  of  Leonardo's.  The  subject,  as  before  stated, 
was  originally  painted  by  Leonardo  for  the  church  of  San  Celso 
at  Milan,^  but  what  became  of  the  original  picture — evidently  one 
of  Leonardo's  greatest  works — is  not  known.  The  Leuchtenberg 
Gallery  claims  to  possess  it  as  well  as  the  Louvre.  The  fine 
portrait  of  Margarita  Coleone  in  the  Berlin  Gallery,  often  given 
to  Leonardo  is  now  reckoned  as  one  of  Salai's  undoubted  works. 

Thus  much,  by  means  of  diligent  research  and  patient  study, 
have  various  historians,  commentators,  and  critics  been  able  to 
glean  for  us  of  the  outward  life  of  this  incomprehensible  Leonardo 
da  Vinci ;  but  as  will  be  seen,  his  inner  life — the  real  heart  and  soul 
of  the  man — remains  as  much  a  mystery  to  us  as  ever.  Whether 
he  was,  as  some  writers  have  represented  him,  an  intellectual 
epicure,  skimming  lightly  over  the  surface  of  the  troubled  waters  of 
opinion  and  taking  no  part  in  the  struggle  between  Reason  and 
Faith  that  was  already  beginning  in  his  time,  his  highest  philosophy 


*  Uzielli,  doc.  xxvii.     "  Estratto  di  una  procura  fatta  da  Battista  de  Vilanis  a 
Girolamo  Melzi." 
2  See  p.  30. 


LIFE    OF  LEONARDO    DA    VINCL  in 

being  to  "flee  from  storms" — storms  political,  metaphysical,  and 
theological ;  or  whether  he  was  one  of  those  ''  to  whom  under 
ruder  or  purer  form,  the  Divine  Idea  of  the  Universe  is  pleased 
to  manifest  itself,  and  across  all  the  hills  of  ignorance  and 
earthly  degradation,  shine  through,  in  unspeakable  awfulness, 
unspeakable  beauty  on  their  souls,  who,  therefore,  are  rightly 
accounted  prophets,  God-possessed,  or  even  gods,  as  in  some 
periods  it  has  chanced,"  we  shall  probably  never  know.  Car- 
lyle  has  never  considered  the  hero  as  artist,  but  even  if  he  had 
he  would  not  probably  have  taken  Leonardo  as  his  type,  for  he 
is  not  a  hero  after  the  modern  fashion,  and  still  less  after  the 
mediaeval,  but  is  cast  in  antique  mould — a  calm  and  beautiful 
Greek  hero,  with  no  trace  of  suffering  or  conflict  on  his  brow. 
Such  at  least  he  appears  in  Vasari's  biography  and  in  the  slight 
sketches  of  his  contemporaries ;  ^  but  in  the  portraits  he  has  left 
us  of  himself  we  find  even  in  the  beautiful  spiritual  face  lines  of 
thought,  care,  and  sorrow,  that  make  us  think  that  the  divine 
Leonardo  no  more  than  other  men  escaped  human  sorrow  and 
human  tears ;  though  except  in  the  one  line  of  his  sonnet — 

"  Piansi  gik  quel  ch'  io  volsi,  poi  ch'  io  Y  ebbi," 

we  have  no  glimpse  of  them. 

In  his  life,  as  in  his  works,  Leonardo  still  remains  a  mystery, 
one  of  the  most  perplexing  and  shifting  phenomena  of  the  age 
in  which  he  lived. 


^  Lomazzo,  in  assigning  to  each  of  the  great  painters  of  his  age  a  symbolic 
animal  and  metal,  gives  to  Leonardo  the  lion  as  a  symbol  and  gold  as  an 
attribute. 


LEONARDO  DA  VINCI  IN  SCIENCE  AND 


LITERATURE. 


PROFILE   SKETCH    FOR   HIS   OWN    PORTRAIT. 
From  a  drawing  in  the  Royal  Collection,  Windsor  Castle. 


LEONARDO    DA   VINCI    IN    SCIENCE 
AND    LITERATURE. 

HE  birth  of  Leonardo  happened  at  a  period  of  the 
world's  history  singularly  favourable  for  the  de- 
velopment of  an  energetic,  inquiring  spirit.  The 
gloom  which  since  the  downfall  of  the  Roman 
power  had  dwelt  upon  civilized  Europe  during  what,  even  with 
all  admissible  exceptions,  were  justly  termed  the  Dark  Ages,  was 
rapidly  dispersing.  Poetry,  never  at  any  one  period  wholly 
silent,  had  already  given  forth  a  glorious  morning  welcome  to 
the  new  birth  of  art ;  painting,  disengaged  from  the  harsh 
trammels  of  timid  asceticism,  was  unveiling  life-like  and  tender 
forms.  Contemporaneously,  or  even  earlier,  sculpture  had 
begun  to  render  homage  to  that  beauty  which  superstition, 
enfeebled  by  the  terrors  of  constant  war  and  pestilence,  had 
execrated  and  fled  from  as  diabolical.  Music,  which,  thanks  to 
Guido  of  Arezzo,  had  now  the  means  of  recording  her  progress, 
and  advanced  by  the  discovery  of  the  rules  of  harmony  to  the 
dignity  of  a  science,  was  inspiring  with  rhythm  and  melody  the 
troMveurs  and  minstrels  of  all  countries.  The  sisterhood  of 
art  preluded  the  near  revival  of  science.  But  although  some 
gleams  of  knowledge  had  already  pierced  the  general  twilight, 


ii6  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI 

and  some  intellects  had  already  shown  symptoms  of  rebellion 
against  the  fetters  which  authority  had  long  ago  imposed, 
Science  had  to  encounter  far  more  serious  obstacles  than  had 
impeded  the  progress  of  her  sister.  Life  begins  at  the  heart, 
and  an  appeal  to  the  feelings  met  with  a  readier  welcome  than 
a  demand  for  the  exercise  of  calm  judgment.  Princes,  confident 
in  brute  force,  saw  no  need  for  learning ;  the  ignorant  among  the 
clergy  held  in  holy  horror  what  it  gave  them  trouble  to  compre- 
hend ;  artizans  were  wearied  by  demands  upon  their  mental 
powers,  already,  it  may  be,  severely  taxed,  and  the  mass  of  the 
people,  as  ever,  echoed  the  cry  of  their  blind  leaders .  Altogether 
the  age  seemed  far  from  propitious  to  the  revival  of  that 
knowledge  which  the  ancients  had  with  wisely-extended  phrase 
termed  philosophy.  Yet  even  now  the  hour  had  come  to  shake 
off  the  slumber  of  ages,  and  the  ignes  fatui  of  alchemy,  magic, 
and  astrology  were  preceding,  mingling  with,  and  gradually 
fading  before  the  steadily  advancing  dawn  of  true  science. 

It  was  at  this  point  of  history,  when  the  fall  of  Constantinople 
was  just  about  to  terminate  the  record  of  a  thousand  years' 
trouble,  and  inaugurate  a  new  era,  that  Leonardo  was  born. 

One  of  a  numerous  family,  but  with  the  stain  of  illegitimacy  on 
his  birth,  these  circumstances  may  possibly  tend  to  explain  the 
undoubted  fact  that  far  less  than  the  ordinary  amount  of  care 
was  bestowed  on  Leonardo's  education,  which  indeed  appears 
to  have  been  for  some  considerable  period  limited  strictly  to  the 
mere  elements  of  writing  and  arithmetic.  There  was  never, 
perhaps,  a  mind  to  whom  so  dangerous  an  amount  of  liberty 
could  have  been  so  harmlessly,  nay,  so  profitably  entrusted,  as 
that  of  the  young  Leonardo.  In  whatever  direction  his  mind's 
eye  turned,  he  discerned  paths  which  must  lead  to  great  dis- 
coveries (for  had  they  not  already  done  so  ?),  but  choked  up, 
long  untravelled,  and  with  few  or  no  guides  to  direct  the  doubt- 
ful   traveller.     Such   conditions,  calculated  to   dismay  a   tiriiid 


IN  SCIENCE   AND   LITERATURE.  117 

inquirer,  were  especially  fitted  to  arouse  the  ardent  energies  of 
the  young  artist.  It  may  be  fairly  said  of  him  that  he  triumphed 
in  the  contemplation  of  the  darkness  on  which  he  felt  himself 
destined  to  direct  the  light  of  truth. 

As  might  be  expected,  the  fine  arts  offered  the  easiest  field 
for  the  exercise  of  his  youthful  strength,  and  it  is  not  wonderful 
to  find  him  singing  his  own  songs  to  his  own  harp,  renowned  as 
a  courteous  cavalier  and  admirable  dancer  in  the  festal  city  of 
Florence,  then  in  the  high  tide  of  that  excessive  luxury  which, 
in  a  few  years,  was  to  bring  upon  her  inhabitants  the  withering 
indignation  of  Savonarola.  But  art  alone  was  insufficient  food 
for  this  great  spirit, 

"  Yearning  with  desire 
To  follow  knowledge  like  a  sinking  star 
Beyond  the  utmost  bound  of  human  thought." 

In  all  branches  of  literature  and  science  his  universal  "genius 
loved  to  test  its  powers ;  in  all  he  added  line  upon  line,  precept 
upon  precept,  at  first  with  little  care  for  practical  ends,  and 
enjoying  discovery  merely  for  its  own  pleasure,  till  he  seems  to 
have  been  startled  by  the  immense  bulk  of  his  own  accumulated 
observations.  When,  therefore,  he  undertook  the  task  of 
classifying  and  reducing  to  order  his  manuscripts,  it  is  little 
wonder  that  Time  overtook  him  with  his  work  yet  incomplete, 
and  that  in  science  as  in  art,  his  place  must  be  judged,  not 
merely  by  the  few  complete  works  now  existing,  but  by  the 
numerous  hints,  plans,  and  sketches  filling  the  fourteen  great 
volumes  which,  dying  at  the  comparatively  premature  age  of  6j, 
he  bequeathed  to  his  friend  and  scholar,  Francesco  Melzi. 

Did  we,  in  fact,  possess  all  these  volumes,  we  might,  by 
painful  and  reverent  search,  carry  out  the  work  which  he 
proposed  to  himself,  and  thus  by  degrees  trace  out  in  its  true 
proportions  the  mighty  image  of  the  universal  inventor.  But 
this  has  been  denied  us.     Various  have  been  the  vicissitudes  to 


Ii8  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI 

which  this  valuable  legacy  has  been  exposed  ;  and  it  is  with  no 
small  indignation  that  we  find  the  family  of  Melzi,  within  70 
years  of  Leonardo's  death,  so  utterly  ignorant  of  its  value  as  to 
allow  thirteen  volumes  to  be  abstracted,  and  when  (so  Mazenta 
informs  us)  he  managed  to  restore  them  to  the  original  owners, 
the  then  chief  of  the  family  **  wondered  he  had  taken  so  much 
trouble,  informed  Mazenta  he  might  keep  them,  and  added  that 
there  were  many  more  which  had  lain  for  years  in  the  garrets  of 
his  villa." 

It  does  not  enter  into  the  scope  of  this  notice  to  follow 
minutely  the  various  fortunes  of  the  different  parts  of  Leonardo's 
legacy.  An  Italian  author  (Gilberto  Govi)  has  traced  with  reverent 
accuracy  the  course  of  many  volumes,  till,  like  the  pilgrims  on 
the  bridge  of  Mirza,  they  suddenly  disappear  from  sight.  The 
Earl  of  Arundel  and  Consul  Smith  of  Venice  appear  in  Govi's 
pages  among  the  accidental  possessors  of  uncertain  portions  ;  and 
so  numerous  have  been  their  casualties,  that  the  reader  is  rather 
surprised  to  find  thirteen  volumes  still  remaining  in  the  Ambro- 
sian  Library  of  Milan  in  1796.  So  rich  a  prize  was  not  likely 
to  escape  the  plundering  hands  of  the  French,  and,  seemingly 
through  negligence  of  the  Austrian  Commissioner  in  18 15,  one 
only  of  the  fourteen  was  restored  to  Milan.  Happily  this  one 
was  the  most  important,  being  that  long  known  by  the  title  of 
"  Codice  Atlantico,"  having  been  compiled  by  mounting  near 
400  designs  from  the  master's  hands  upon  drawing  paper,  many 
of  which  contain  notes  of  explanation  written,  as  was  his  ordinary 
habit,  with  the  left  hand,  and  from  right  to  left,  so  as  to  require 
the  aid  of  a  mirror  to  render  them  legible.  The  volumes  which 
still  remained  at  Paris  were  subject,  so  Govi  states,  to  further 
mutilations  ;  but  we  do  not  propose  to  carry  this  narrative  further, 
our  object  being  simply  to  point  out  the  difficulties  inevitably 
accompanying  any  attempt  to  reconstruct  from  such  imperfect 
materials  a  true  and  correct  image  of  their  author.     Nor,  even 


IN  SCIENCE   AND   LITERATURE.  119 

could  the  depredations  of  centuries  be  restored,  would  a  simple 
reprinting  of  this  huge  mass  of  notes  do  anything  like  justice  to 
Leonardo's  memory.  Frequently  a  first  idea,  remarkable  for  its 
originality,  and  destined  in  the  hands  of  future  discoverers  to 
produce  rich  fruits,  appears  in  these  pages,  is  developed  so  far  as 
to  show  how  clearly  its  capabilities  were  foreseen  by  the  author, 
and  then  breaks  off  short  without  any  reason  which  we  can  even 
conjecture.    ' 

On  the  other  hand,  we  find  suggestions  carefully  noted  down, 
and  deductions  drawn  which  the  author's  better  judgment  dis- 
avows, and  which  some  few  pages  onwards  are  overthrown  by 
their  original  construction.  Of  these  a  notable  instance  Is  to  be 
found  in  the  treatise  "  On  the  Motion  and  Power  of  Water,"  in 
which  Leonardo  has  devised  an  ingenious  instrument  for  perpetual 
motion,  a  chimaera  which  he  afterwards  abandons,  and  the  im- 
possibility of  which  he  demonstrates  with  the  clearest  logic.  But 
nothing  can  more  plainly  show  the  author  s  sense  of  the  imperfect 
character  of  these  notes  than  his  own  "  Codlcetto,"  or  preface, 
the  original  of  which  Is  among  the  treasures  of  the  British 
Museum,  part  of  which  we  commend  to  the  notice  of  our 
readers  : — 

**  Cominclato  in  Firenze  in  casa  di  Plero  di  Braccio  MartelH, 
addl  22  di  marzo  1508;  e  questo  fia  un  raccolto  senza  ordine, 
tratto  di  molte  carte,  le  quali  ho  qui  coplate,  sperando  poi  di 
metterle  alii  lochi  loro,  secondo  le  materie  che  di  esse  tratteranno ; 
credo  che  avanti  ch'  io  sla  al  fine  di  questo,  io  ci  avro  a  replicare 
una  medeslma  cosa  piu  volte,  sicche,  lettore,  non  mi  biasimare, 
perche  le  cose  son  molte,  e  la  memoria  non  le  puo  riservare,  e 
dire :  questa  non  vogllo  scrivere,  perche  dinanzi  la  scrissi :  e  s'  io 
non  volessi  cadere  in  tale  errore,  sarebbe  necessario  che  per  ogni 
caso  ch^  io  ci  volessi  copiar  su,  che  per  non  replicarlo,  io  avessi 
sempre  a  rileggere  tutto  il  passato,  e  massime  stando  con  lunghi 
intervalll  di  tempo  alio  scrivere  da  una  volta  a  un'  altra." 


I20  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI 

*'  Begun  at  Florence  in  the  house  of  Piero  di  Braccio  Martelli, 
on  the  22nd  March,  1505  ;  and  this  can  be  a  collection  without 
order,  extracted  from  many  papers  which  I  have  copied,  hoping 
hereafter  to  arrange  them  in  their  proper  order,  according  to  the 
subjects  of  which  they  treat.  I  expect,  that  before  concluding 
this  task  I  shall  have  to  repeat  the  same  thing  more  than  once ; 
wherefore,  reader,  do  not  blame  me,  seeing  that  the  things  are 
many,  and  I  cannot  keep  them  in  my  memory  and  say,  *  This  I 
will  not  write  because  already  I  have  written  it.'  Were  I  anxious 
to  avoid  falling  into  such  an  error,  it  would  be  necessary  for  me 
whenever  I  proposed  to  copy  anything,  for  fear  of  repetition  to 
read  over  all  previous  matter ;  particularly  considering  that  long 
intervals  of  time  exist  between  my  times  of  writing." 

Bearing,  therefore,  in  mind  the  fragmentary  nature  of  the 
evidence  on  which  alone  we  have  to  rely,  we  proceed  to  show 
from  his  own  manuscripts  how  many  were  the  varied  branches 
of  knowledge  in  which  he  had  made  actual  progress,  how  few 
those  in  which  he  had  not  at  least  pointed  out  to  others  the  true 
road  to  useful  discovery.  It  was  especially  fortunate  for  Leo- 
nardo that  his  early  dedication  to  the  fine  arts  left  his  mind  free 
from  the  foolish  talk  of  schoolmen,  his  inquiring  spirit  untram- 
meled  by  the  unreasoning  deference  then  paid  to  the  great 
names  of  Aristotle  and  Plato.  Then  and  long  afterwards,  as  the 
well-known  history  of  Galileo  demonstrates,  a  wish  to  learn  from 
nature  rather  than  from  any  master,  however  great,  was  held  the 
height  of  insupportable  presumption.  All  honour  then  to  one 
who  so  far  anticipated  both  the  Tuscan  astronomer  and  the 
"  eagle  spirit"  of  Bacon,  as  to  originate  and  inculcate  such 
maxims  as  we  shall  now  proceed  to  place  on  record  : — 

"  Experience  never  deceives  ;  only  man's  judgment  deceives 
when  promising  effects  which  are  not  supported  by  experiment." 

"  Speculators,  do  not  trust  authors  who  wish  to  interpret 
between  nature  and  man  through  their  own  imaginations,  but 


IN  SCIENCE    AND    LITERATURE.  121 

trust  only  those  who  have  exercised  their  understandings  upon 
the  results  of  their  own  experiments." 

Having  laid  down  carefully  the  rules  by  which  experiments 
should  be  conducted,  he  observes  : — "  If  then  you  ask  me, 
*  What  fruit  do  your  rules  yield,  or  for  what  are  they  good  ?'  I 
reply  that  they  bridle  investigators,  and  prevent  them  from 
promising  impossibilities  to  themselves  and  others,  and  so  being 
rated  as  fools  or  cheats." 

**  Many  will  think  themselves  warranted  in  blaming  me, 
alleging  that  my  proofs  are  contrary  to  the  authority  of  certain 
men  whom  they  hold  in  high  reverence  ....  not  considering 
that  my  facts  are  obtained  by  simple  pure  experiment,  which  is 
our  real  mistress." 

But  these  doctrines,  however  simple  and  manly  they  may 
seem  to  us,  were  little  likely  to  find  favour  with  the  age  in 
which  they  were  uttered.  The  warning  (uttered  probably  rather 
to  himself  than  to  any  reader)  that  "  patience  against  injustice  is 
as  a  garment  against  the  cold,  and  that  as  the  cold  increases 
there  is  no  other  remedy  than  to  don  additional  wraps,  and  so 
bid  defiance  to  your  assailant,"  was  not  wrung  from  a  tranquil 
mind  ;  nor  can  we  wonder  that  when  Savonarola  was  proclaiming 
Christ  King  of  Florence,  and  calling,  not  vainly,  upon  the 
citizens  to  offer  in  his  honour  a  holocaust  of  books,  paintings, 
rich  tapestries,  and  all  the  luxuries  of  the  sinful  world,  a  man 
like  Leonardo  should  be  deemed  a  heretic  or  even  an  atheist. 
Vasari,  after  referring  to  his  "caprices"  relative  to  natural 
philosophy,  adds  that  by  these  methods  he  had  brought  his 
mind  into  so  heretical  a  state  as  to  be  unable  to  attach  himself 
to  any  form  of  religion,  and  indeed  seemed  to  care  more  for 
being  a  philosopher  than  a  Christian.      A  dangerous  man,  truly ! 

Nor  were  the  following  speculations  as  to  mind  and  matter 
likely  to  find  favour  in  priestly  councils.  "  Spirit  has  no  voice,  for 
where  there  is  voice  there  is  body,   and  where  there  is  body 


122  LEONARDO   DA    VINCI 

there  is  occupation  of  place  ....  There  can  be  no  voice  where 
there  is  no  movement  and  percussion  of  air,  no  percussion  of  air 
without  some  instrument,  no  instrument  incorporeal.  A  spirit 
cannot  have  either  voice,  form  or  force  ....  Where  there  are 
neither  nerves  nor  bones,  no  force  can  be  exerted  in  movements 
made  by  the  imagined  spirits."  Maxims  such  as  these — not  out 
of  place  even  in  the  enlightened  nineteenth  century — seemed 
greatly  so  in  the  fifteenth,  and  a  marginal  note  found  in  the 
"  Codicetto  Trivulziano  "  : — "  Pharisees,  that  is  to  say,  Friars  " — 
was  not  made  by  a  favourite  of  the  priestly  order.  Indeed,  it  is 
not  unlikely  that  the  artist  alludes  to  some  actual  persecution 
when  we  find  him  writing  :  ''  When  I  made  the  Lord  God  an 
infant,  you  imprisoned  me ;  now  if  I  make  him  grown  up,  you 
will  treat  me  worse."  Throughout  the  whole  of  his  life,  indeed, 
the  comments  which  it  continually  pleased  him  to  make  are 
brief  but  comprehensive  evidences  of  the  many  painful  thoughts 
that  could  not  but  fill  the  mind  of  an  earnest  man,  frequently 
sorrowful  yet  never  cankered,  zealous  to  gather  from  all  events 
some  fruitful  precepts  for  future  self-guidance,  till,  conscious,  as 
no  doubt  he  was,  that  the  end  was  approaching  too  soon  for 
what  he  had  hoped  to  achieve,  he  utters  the  regretful  cry, 
**  When  I  thought  I  was  learning  to  live,  I  was  but  learning  to 
die."  And  even  this  cry  is  soon  repressed.  Accustomed 
throughout  life  to  take  with  equal  thanks  the  buffets  and 
rewards  of  fortune,  he  again  takes  his  pen  to  note  down  that 
"A  life  well  spent  is  long;"  and  yet  again,  *'As  a  day  well 
spent  gives  a  joyful  sleep,  so  does  life  well  employed  give 
joyful  death." 

Some  attention  should  be  given  to  the  unsatisfactory  condition 
of  the  Italian  language  at  this  epoch.  The  same  struggle  which 
the  English  tongue  had  to  sustain  against  the  preponderating 
reverence  for  Latinity  implanted  in  the  minds  of  learned  men 
was  fought  out*in  Italy  ;  and  while  Spenser  was  sorely  tempted 


IN  SCIENCE   AND   LITERATURE.  123 

to  leave  posterity,  instead  of  his  nobly  rhythmic  Faerie  Queen, 
a  mountainous  mass  of  barbarous  hexameters,  so  Petrarch,  think- 
ing hghtly  of  his  sonnets,  rested  his  hopes  of  fame  on  the 
dreary  Latin  epic  of  "Africa."  No  wonder,  therefore,  that  in  the 
mere  elementary  paths  of  orthography  and  grammar  Leonardo 
found  his  own  native  tongue  woefully  defective.  There,  as  else- 
where, he  had  to  lay  down  rules  and  establish  principles  ;  there, 
as  elsewhere,  whatever  his  hands  found  to  do,  he  began  to  do 
with  all  his  might.  In  one  of  the  Ambrosian  manuscripts  now 
detained  at  Paris,  we  find  a  chapter  on  grammatical  conjuga- 
tions. In  the  "  Codice  Trivulziano  "  frequent  evidences  exist  that 
the  writer  felt  the  need  of  a  dictionary  of  his  native  tongue,  and 
was  preparing  to  supply  the  want ;  and  while  his  own  orthography 
in  its  tentative  character  shows  how  unfixed  his  ideas  on  that 
matter  were,  with  the  true  strength  of  genius  he  accepted  the 
responsibility  of  inventing  new  words  whenever  the  need  for 
doing  so  was  clearly  obvious. 

Of  the  songs  which,  as  we  are  told,  he  used  to  accompany  on 
his  lyre,  we  possess  no  specimens,  nor,  perhaps,  is  the  loss  great ; 
they  were  probably  easy  improvisations,  owing  their  reputation 
rather  to  the  good-natured  judgments  prevalent  in  that  age  than 
to  any  sterling  thoughts  which  the  world  would  not  willingly  let 
die.  A  few  sonnets  he  wrote — would  he  have  been  Italian 
had  he  not  done  so  ? — but  they  are  of  the  dogmatic,  self-anato- 
mizing character  common  to  that  age,  and  closely  copied  by  our 
own  sonnetteers  of  Elizabethan  times.     Two  detached  lines — 

"  Deh  !  non  m'  aver  a  vil,  ch'  io  non  son  povero ; 
Povero  b  quel  che  assai  cose  desidera" — 

Hold  me  not  vile,  for  lo  I  I  am  not  poor ; 
The  poor  is  he  who  over  much  desires — 

seem  as  though  they  might  be  expanded  into  a  Shakespearian 
sonnet. 

It  is,  however,  more  pleasing  to  meet  Leonardo  in  a  field  of 


124  ^LEONARDO    DA     VINCI 

which  he  was  surely  master,  and  the  following  fragment,  in  which 
he  deals  with  the  history  of  art,  will  make  us  greatly  regret  the 
loss  of  the  remainder. 

"  II  pittore  avra  la  sua  pittura  di  poca  eccellenza,  se  quello 
piglia  per  autore  1'  altrui  pitture.  Ma  se  egli  imparera  dalle 
cose  naturali,  fara  buon  frutto,  come  vediamo  ne'  pittori  dopo  i 
Romani,  i  quali  sempre  imitarono  1'  uno  dell'  altro,  e  di  eta  in  eta 
sempre  ando  detta  arte  in  declinazione.  Dopo  questi  venne 
Giotti  fiorentino,  il  quale  nato  in  monti  solitari,  abitati  solo  da 
capre  e  simili  bestie,  questo  sendo  volto  della  Natura  a  simile 
arte,  comincio  a  disegnare  su  per  li  sassi  gli  atti  delle  capre  delle 
quali  era  guardatore,  e  cosi  comincio  a  fare  tutti  gli  animali  che 
nel  paese  trovava,  in  tal  modo  che  questo  dopo  molto  di  studio 
avanzo  non  che  i  maestri  della  sua  eta,  ma  tutti  quelli  di  molti 
secoli  passati.  Dopo  questo  1'  arte  ricadde,  perche  tutti  imitarono 
le  fatte  pitture.  .  .  .  insino  a  tanto  che  Tommaso  fiorentino  co- 
gnominato  Masaccio  mostro  con  opera  perfetta  come  quelli  che 
pigliavano  per  autore  altro  che  la  natura,  maestra  de'  maestri, 
s'  affaticavano  invano." 

*'  That  painter  will  produce  works  of  poor  quality  who  takes 
for  his  guide  the  paintings  of  others  ;  but  if  he  will  learn  from 
natural  objects,  he  will  bring  forth  good  fruit.  This  we  may 
see  in  the  later  Roman  painters,  who,  by  continual  copying  of 
others  from  age  to  age,  brought  their  art  into  decadence.  After 
these  came  Giotto,  the  Florentine,  who,  brought  up  in  lonely 
mountains,  with  no  other  inhabitants  than  goats  and  such  like 
beasts,  yet  found  himself  urged  by  nature  to  follow  art,  and 
began  by  sketching  upon  stones  the  attitudes  of  the  goats  whose 
keeper  he  was,  and,  proceeding  to  copy  all  the  animals  he  could 
find  in  the  neighbourhood,  acquired  by  this  means  such  a  degree 
of  skill  as  to  surpass  not  only  the  artists  of  his  own  time,  but 
all  those  of  many  past  ages.  After  him  art  again  fell  off,  through 
continual  imitation  of  pictures.  .  .  .  until  Tommaso  of  Florence, 


IN   SCIENCE   AND    LITERATURE.  125 

known  as  Masaccio,  showed  by  the  perfection  of  his  work  how 
fruitless  were  the  labours  of  those  who  followed  any  other 
leader  than  Nature,  the  mistress  of  all  masters." 

We  have  given  the  above  passage  almost  in  extenso,  as  it  is 
highly  interesting  to  receive  from  another  source  the  confirma- 
tion of  the  well-known  story  of  Giotto,  and  likewise  to  note  the 
clear  discernment  and  frank  recognition  of  the  merits  of  Masac- 
cio by  his  fellow-artist. 

Our  limits  will  not  permit  us  more  than  a  glance  at  sundry 
humourous  and  satirical  remarks  of  Leonardo  to  which  he  chose 
to  affix  the  pompous  title  of  prophecies.  Playful  allegory,  descend- 
ing even  to  the  level  of  punning — tell  it  not  in  the  halls  of  the 
Delia  Cruscans — characterizes  most  of  these  maxims,  among 
which  his  old  foes  the  '*  Pharisees  "  come  in  for  many  a  sly  hit  It 
is  easy  to  recognize  who  are  the  '*  numerous  crowd  that  heap  up 
great  riches,  paying  for  the  same  in  invisible  coin  ;"  nor  can  we 
doubt  "  those  who  avoid  hard  work  and  poor  living,  that  they 
may  inhabit  rich  palatial  edifices,  clearly  demonstrating  that  by 
so  doing  they  exalt  the  glory  of  God  ;"  or  who  "  sell  publicly 
things  of  great  value  which  never  were  theirs,  nor  in  their 
power,  without  any  license  from  the  real  owner."  Such  keen 
satire  as  this — and  his  writings  abound  in  such — sufficiently  ex- 
plain the  charges  of  naturalism,  rationalism,  and,  to  crown  wor- 
thily the  edifice  of  calumny,  of  atheism,  to  which  Leonardo  was 
exposed.  Before  quitting  this  part  of  our  subject,  allusion  must 
be  made  to  the  fables  with  which  he  seems  to  have  occupied  his 
leisure  moments,  one  of  which,  in  a  slightly  abbreviated  form, 
is  here  presented  to  our  readers,  who  may  possibly  trace  in  the 
old'  Florentine  somewhat  of  the  playfulness  which,  in  our  own 
time,  has  enabled  Hans  Andersen  to  anatomize  the  emotions  of 
darning  needles  and  morocco  slippers. 

"  A   razor   having  come  out  of  the  sheath  in  which  it  was 
usually  concealed,   and   placed  itself  in  the  sunlight,  saw  how 


126  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI 

brightly  the  sun  was  reflected  from  its  surface.  Mightily  pleased 
thereat,  it  began  to  reason  with  itself  after  this  fashion  :  *  Shall 
I  now  go  back  to  the  shop  which  I  have  just  quitted  ?  Cer- 
tainly it  cannot  be  pleasing  to  the  gods  that  such  dazzling 
beauty  should  be  linked  to  such  baseness  of  spirit !  What  a 
madness  it  would  be  that  should  lead  me  to  shave  the  soaped 
beards  of  country  bumpkins !  Is  this  a  form  fitted  for  such 
base  mechanical  uses  ?  Assuredly  not ;  I  shall  withdraw  myself 
into  some  sheltered  spot,  and  in  calm  repose  pass  away  my 
life.'  Having  therefore  concealed  himself  for  some  months,  on 
leaving  his  sheath  one  day,  and  returning  to  the  open  air,  he 
found  himself  looking  just  like  a  rusty  saw,  and  totally  unable 
to  reflect  the  glorious  sun  from  his  tarnished  surface.  He 
lamented  in  vain  this  irreparable  loss,  and  said  to  himself,  '  How 
much  better  had  I  kept  up  the  lost  keenness  of  my  edge  by 
practising  with  my  friend  the  barber !  What  has  become  of  all 
my  brilliant  surface  ?  This  abominable  rust  has  eaten  it  all  up.' 
If  genius  chooses  to  indulge  in  sloth,  it  must  not  expect  to 
preserve  the  keen  edge  which  the  rust  of  ignorance  will  soon 
destroy." 

Leonardo's  handwriting,  as  we  have  already  said,  ran  from  right 
to  left,  after  the  fashion  of  eastern  nations,  which  served  there- 
fore to  conceal  his  thoughts  and  notes  from  over-curious  eyes. 
Very  rarely  do  we  find  him  adopting  the  ordinary  method  of 
writing  from  left  to  right ;  and  the  reason  of  this  peculiarity  has 
been  explained  by  Paciolo,  who  informs  us  that  the  figures  for 
his  work  on  "  Divine  Proportion  "  had  been  drawn  by  Leonardo 
"  with  that  ineffable  left  hand  which  was  mathematically  trained 
to  all  exercises."  In  a  subsequent  passage  we  find  :  ''  We  may 
write  also  reversedly  and  with  the  left  hand,  so  as  not  to  be  read 
without  a  mirror,  or  by  looking  on  the  back  of  the  paper  against 
the  light,  as  you  can  understand  without  farther  explanation, 
and  as  is  practised  by  our  luminary  of  painting,  Leonardo  da 


IN  SCIENCE   AND    LITERATURE.  127 

Vinci,  who  is  left-handed,  as  has  been  often  mentioned."  It  is 
easy  to  see  that  a  left-handed  man  would  find  it  easier  to  form 
characters  running  from  right  to  left  than  from  left  to  right  in 
the  usual  fashion ;  and  thus  the  painter's  oriental  fashion  of 
writing  may  have  originated  in  the  indulgence  of  a  natural 
tendency,  subsequently  developed  into  habit  by  the  advantage 
which  he  found  in  concealing  his  private  jottings  from  the  eye 
of  a  casual  observer.  Da  Vinci's  manuscripts  are  by  no  means 
easy  to  read  without  a  mirror,  and  even  with  this  aid  the 
unusual  style  of  orthography,  abbreviations,  omissions  and  over- 
sights, render  the  reading  unpleasant  without  long  and  patient 
practice ;  so  that  it  is  by  no  means  wonderful  to  find  writers, 
especially  foreigners,  who  have  declared  Leonardo's  works  to  be 
totally  useless,  as  being  written  in  an  incomprehensible  cipher. 
But  it  is  time  to  pass  away  from  the  general  field  of  literature 
and  philosophy,  in  which,  after  all,  our  author's  footsteps  are  not 
very  deeply  printed,  in  order  to  trace  his  career  in  those 
branches  of  positive  science  to  which  he  has  devoted  long  and 
painful  study. 

Beginning,  therefore,  with  anatomy,  which,  as  Vasari  informs 
us,  Leonardo  studied  under  Marcantonio  della  Torre,  who  at 
that  time  taught  this  science  at  Pavia,  it  is  sufficient  to  allude 
to  the  admirable  collection  of  drawings  which  form  part  of  the 
Windsor  Collection,  and  which  seems  to  have  been  purchased  by 
the  Earl  of  Arundel  for  Charles  L  These  drawings  apparently 
belonged  at  one  time  to  Pompeo  Leoni,  as  the  cover  of  the  book 
bears  the  following  inscription  in  gold   letters  :  disegni  .  di  . 

LEONARDO    .    DA   .    VINCI    .    RESTAURATI    .    DA    .     POMPEO    .     LEONI   . 

Several  of  these  plates  were  engraved  and  published  by  Cham- 
berlayne  in  181 2;  and  here,  as  likewise  in  the  *' Codice 
Atlantico,"  may  be  found  evidence  of  the  earnest  search  he 
pursued  into  all  the  mysteries  of  nature.  Judging  from  a  note 
respecting  the  phenomena  of  vision,  which  he  reminds  himself  is 


128  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI 

to  be  inserted  '*  in  your  Anatomy,"  it  is  probable  that  a  treatise 
on  human  anatomy  existed,  though  possibly  only  in  the 
teeming  brain  of  the  author.  Vasari  distinctly  alludes  to  an 
''Anatomy  of  the  Horse"  designed  by  Leonardo  ;  but  the  work 
seems  to  have  perished.  Determined  as  Leonardo  was  to  pursue 
his  investigations  beyond  the  ordinary  superficial  demands  of  art, 
his  sense  of  beauty  and  fitness  prevented  his  falling  into  the  error 
which  betrayed  into  extravagance  many  of  his  contemporaries ; 
nor  do  we  ever  find  in  his  works  that  over-elaboration  of 
anatomic  detail,  which,  to  use  his  own  phrase  in  the  "  Trattato 
della  Pittura,"  causes  the  figure  to  resemble  a  sack  of  walnuts.  It 
may  not  be  unreasonable  to  conjecture  that  his  refined  mind 
may  have  found  relief  from  the  use  of  the  mangling  scalpel  of 
the  anatomist  in  contemplating  the  rich  and  varied  family  of 
fruits  and  flowers,  and  that  the  pleasure  derived  from  the 
examination  of  their  forms,  textures  and  development,  inspired 
him  with  the  ideas  disclosed  in  many  of  his  fables,  wherein  trees 
and  fruits  frequently  play  the  principal  parts,  instead  of  the  men 
and  animals  of  ^sop.  His  mind  was,  however,  too  active  to 
linger  long  in  the  region  of  simple  contemplation,  and  we 
shortly  find  him  engaged  in  accurately  examining  the  physiology 
Npf  plants.  In  the  sixth  book  of  the  *'  Trattato  della  Pittura," 
published  at  Rome  by  Manzi,  after  a  copy  found  in  the 
Library  of  the  Vatican,  are  to  be  found  many  interesting  obser- 
vations respecting  the  distribution  and  symmetry  of  leaves  and 
branches,  and  the  formation  of  bark  and  wood.  How  much 
may  have  been  lost  in  the  missing  volumes  from  which  this 
incomplete  Vatican  copy  is  known  to  have  been  compiled  in  the 
seventeenth  century,  must  remain  matter  of  conjecture.  Sig. 
Gustavo  Uzielli,  an  enthusiastic  collector  of  all  relating  to  Leo- 
nardo, published  in  1869,  in  the  first  number  of  the  "Nuovo 
Giornale  Botanico  Italiano,"  a  short  treatise  upon  some  botanic 
observations  by  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  in  which  he  claims  for  his 


IN  SCIENCE    AND    LITERATURE.  129 

illustrious  countryman  the  credit  of  having  first  laid  down  the 
fundamental  laws  regulating  the  distribution  of  leaves,  which  had 
hitherto  been  assigned  by  botanists  to  Brown,  an  Englishman, 
whose  work  on  the  subject  appeared  only  in  1658.  In  the 
"  Codice  Atlantico "  are  to  be  found  many  notes  testifying  to 
the  minute  accuracy  of  his  observation,  which  want  of  space 
precludes  us  from  citing  at  length,  and  which,  moreover,  do  not 
contain  facts  now  valuable  to  the  world,  but  which  must  be 
read  with  the  constant  recollection  of  how  many  years  elapsed 
ere  another  such  observer  came  to  record  them.  One  instance 
out  of  many  may  serve,  wherein  he  informs  us  that  the  circles  of 
wood  in  the  section  of  a  branch  denote  the  age  of  the  limb  ; 
their  density  depends  on  the  dryness  or  wetness  of  their  natal 
seasons  ;  also  that  their  position  relative  to  the  compass  must  be 
taken  into  account,  and  that  the  centre  of  a  tree  will  be  found 
nearer  to  its  southern  bark  than  to  its  northern. 

Among  his  botanic  observations  in  the  "  Codice  Atlantico  "  is  a 
receipt  for  colouring  leaves,  and  so  applying  them  as  to  effect 
what  is  now  called  nature-printing ;  and  his  feeling  for  the 
beauties  of  flowers  and  foliage  is  evidenced  by  numerous  inci- 
dental sketches  occurring  throughout  his  manuscripts,  as  likewise 
by  the  picture  alluded  to  by  Vasari  as  a  production  of  his  early 
years,  representing  a  nosegay  gemmed  with  dewdrops,  then 
in  the  possession  of  Pope  Clement  VII.  but  now  unfortunately 
lost. 

Necessity  as  well  as  choice  occasioned  frequent  journeys  across 
the  Alps  and  Apennines,  during  which  Leonardo's  observant  eye 
was  not  idle.  Fossil  shells  and  the  fish  of  Monte  Bolca  became 
the  objects  of  his  speculation  ;  and  instead  of  contenting  himself 
with  the  vague  notion  that  they  were  caprices  of  nature,  or 
referring  them  to  the  stars  or  the  devil,  the  favourite  resources 
of  his  contemporaries  for  explanation  of  all  troublesome  ques- 
tions,  he  recognized   them   as   animals    of  a  pre-historic   age, 

K 


I30  '  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI 

embedded  in  mud  once  soft  though  now  hardened  into  stone. 
With  similar  clearness  of  mental  vision  he  discerns  many 
geologic  phenomena,  the  reasons  of  which  seem  at  once  obvious 
to  him,  though  centuries  had  to  pass  away  before  any  other 
philosopher  was  to  reveal  them.  He  sees  clearly  the  gradual 
denudation  of  mountain  peaks  by  the  subsidence  of  the  water  in 
which  they  were  once  submerged,  he  perceives  that  the  direction 
of  a  falling  body  must  be  affected  by  the  earth's  rotation,  he 
makes  a  note  to  "  write  to  Bartolommeo,  the  Turk,  about  the 
ebb  and  flow  of  the  Pontic  Sea,  and  to  get  information  as  to 
whether  a  similar  phenomenon  exists  in  the  Hyrcanian  or  Cas- 
pian Sea."  The  climatology  of  the  heavenly  bodies  attracts 
his  attention,  and  he  notes  that  "  the  moon  must  have  a  spring 
and  summer  every  month,  with  greater  variations  of  tem- 
perature and  colder  equinoxes  than  we  have;"  he  speculates 
upon  the  reason  of  the  appearance,  well-known,  as  Coleridge 
reminds  us,  to  weather-wise  ballad- writers,  of  the  '*  new  moon 
with  the  old  moon  in  her  arm ;"  and  in  one  instance  where  we 
find  him  falsely  attributing  to  our  own  eyesight  the  twinkling  of 
the  stars,  it  is  but  just  to  remember  that  Aristotle,  from  whose 
dogmas  it  was  at  that  time  all  but  atheistic  to  differ,  had  made  a 
similar  assertion.  Moreover,  astronomy  not  being  as  yet  free 
from  the  entanglements  of  astrologic  dreams,  nor  provided  with 
the  mighty  aids  to  personal  observation  which  the  succeeding 
century  was  to  bring,  we  may  rather  wonder  at  the  courage  of  the 
few  daring  minds  who  ventured  on  so  great  a  quest  and  brought 
back  so  much  fruit  of  truth,  than  comment  on  the  occasional 
errors  into  which  they  may  have  fallen. 

Though  Leonardo  had  not  the  happiness  to  witness  the  astro- 
nomic revelations  the  approach  of  which  he  must  have  clearly 
presaged,  in  geography  he  was  more  fortunate.  It  was  the  age 
of  great  discoveries  ;  Vasco  Diaz  doubled  the  Cape  of  Storms 
when  the   artist  was   in    youthful  vigour ;   in   his  fortieth  year 


IN  SCIENCE   AND   LITERATURE.  131 

Columbus  had  reached  the  West  Indies,  and  shortly  afterwards 
the  continent  of  America  ;  as  he  grew  older  he  must  have  heard 
wondrous  tales  of  Mexico  and  Brazil,  while  before  this  Maga- 
Ihaens  had  opened  the  portals  through  which  the  circumna- 
vigation of  the  globe  was  to  be  effected.  No  wonder  that  the 
friend  of  Amerigo  Vespucci,  whose  portrait  by  Leonardo,  once 
owned  by  Vasari,  has  now  perished,  should  have  revelled  in 
the  numerous  additions  that  were  being  daily  made  to  the 
great  object  of  his  life — actual  knowledge  as  distinguished  from 
dogmatic  assertions.  Without  assigning  to  him  as  undoubted 
the  construction  of  the  planisphere  found  by  the  late  Mr. 
Woodward  among  his  MSS.  at  Windsor,  which  has  been  ably 
described  and  illustrated  by  Mr.  Major,  there  remain  among  his 
papers  fully  sufficient  proofs  of  his  geographic  knowledge.  In 
the  "  Codice  Atlantico  "  are  several  specimens  of  plane  projection 
applied  to  the  earth's  surface,  a  sketch  of  a  small  map  of  Europe, 
a  rough  draught  of  North  Africa,  from  Gibraltar  to  the  Red 
Sea,  another  of  Asia  Minor,  and  numerous  topographic  plans  of 
the  districts  in  which  Leonardo  planned  the  construction  of 
reservoirs  or  canals. 

In  the  same  volume  may  be  read  the  quotation  from  the 
works  of  S.  Augustine,  in  which  the  Bishop  of  Hippo  refuses 
to  believe  in  the  possibility  of  the  antipodes,  renewing  the  argu- 
ments previously  employed  on  the  same  subject  by  Lactantius  and 
others.  Some  have  wondered  to  find  copied  by  Leonardo  an 
opinion  antagonistic  to  the  ideas  of  progress,  and,  as  we  now 
know,  not  founded  on  truth.  But  not  only  was  the  impossibility 
of  an  antipodeal  world  obstinately  held  at  that  time  by  many 
who  supported  themselves  by  quotations  from  both  sacred  and 
profane  authors,  but  it  should  not  be  overlooked  that  the  exist- 
ence of  a  quotation  by  no  means  necessarily  infers  belief  on 
the  part  of  the  copyist.  It  seems,  at  least,  equally  probable  that 
Leonardo  may  have  wished  to  reiterate  his  oft-renewed  protest 


132  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI 

against  over-much  confidence  in  those  who  have  allowed  their 
imagination  to  act  as  interpreter  between  themselves  and  nature, 
and  that  the  passage  from  the  "  De  Civitate  Dei,"  book  xvi.,  was 
preserved  by  him  as  an  instance  of  erroneous  judgment,  and 
consequently  a  notable  weapon  against  the  enemies  of  his  own 
doctrines  in  natural  philosophy. 

The  geometric  knowledge  of  Leonardo  needs  not  to  be  proved 
very  fully,  it  being  sufficiently  obvious  that  without  practical 
knowledge  of  the  science  he  could  not  have  become  the  mechanical 
engineer  he  indisputably  was.  That  he  should  have  made  great 
progress  in  pure  mathematics  was  not  to  be  expected  from  one 
who  in  all  branches  of  science  sought  earnestly  for  immediate 
results  ;  but  the  friend  and  fellow- worker  of  Paciolo  could  not  be 
indifferent  to  exact  science,  and  there  is  something  touching  in 
the  memoranda  we  find  in  the  "  Codice  Atlantico"  respecting 
single  copies  of  works,  as  contrasted  with  the  easy  command  of 
resources  at  the  disposal  of  a  modern  student.  "■  Obtain 
Vitellone's  '  Treatise  on  Mathematics,'  which  is  in  the  library  of 
Pavia. — A  complete  Archimedes  belongs  to  the  brother  of  Mon- 
signore  di  Santa  Giusta  in  Rome.  He  is  said  to  have  given  it 
to  his  brother  who  is  in  Sardinia ;  it  was  formerly  in  the  library 
of  the  Duke  of  Urbino.  It  was  removed  in  the  time  of  the 
Duke  Valentine."  These  notes — and  there  are  many  such — clearly 
emanate  from  a  mind  thwarted  by  poverty  of  help. 

When,  in  1497,  Frate  Lucca  Pacioli  of  Borgo  S.  Sepolero 
presented  to  his  three  great  patrons — Lodovico  Sforza,  Galeazzo 
San  Severino,  and  Pier  Soderini,  his  work  upon  "  The  Divine 
Proportion,"  he  informs  them  that  the  figures  of  the  regular 
solids  as  represented  in  relief  were  the  work  of  that  most  worthy 
painter,  draughtsman,  architect,  musician,  the  all-accomplished 
Leonardo  da  Vinci  of  Florence,  whom  we  found  in  the  city  of 
Milan  in  the  pay  of  the  excellent  duke  thereof,  Lodovico  Maria 
Sforza,  in  the  years  1496-99,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  we,  being 


IN  SCIENCE    AND    LITERATURE.  133 

obliged  by  certain  events  in  that  place  to  leave  it  at  the  same 
time,  became  domiciled  together  at  Florence." 

Other  equally  laudatory  sentences  show  clearly  that  reference 
is  here  made  to  the  original  drawings,  and  not  the  engravings, 
which  were  not  executed  till  1509  by  the  workmen  of  the  office 
where  it  was  printed.  Very  many  diagrams,  both  for  the  use  of 
Pacioli,  and  others,  not  to  be  found  in  this  work,  occur  in  the 
"Codice,"  and  the  precepts  which  accompany  them  seem  to  indicate 
an  intention  to  publish  a  treatise  on  perspective.  That  such 
intention  was  never  carried  out  will  surprise  no  one  who  has 
studied  the  life  of  this  universal  schemer,  and  in  this  instance  the 
relinquishment  may  have  been  caused  by  his  learning  that  Pier 
della  Francesca  had  actually  completed  a  valuable  work  on 
perspective,  copies  of  which  are  to  be  found  in  the  Vatican  and 
Ambrosian  libraries,  and  probably  in  some  other  public  institu- 
tions. Very  many  rules  of  perspective  are  scattered  through  the 
papers  of  our  artist,  of  which  we  shall  mention  one  only,  and 
that  for  the  sake  of  the  epigraph  accompanying  the  figure,  in 
which  he  signs  himself  as  "  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  the  disciple  of 
Practice,"  thus  manifesting  his  unceasing  determination  to  serve 
only  under  the  banner  of  experience.  The  process  of  attaining 
correct  images  of  bodies  seen  in  perspective  by  outlining  them 
upon  an  intervening  glass  plate,  supposed  to  have  been  first 
devised  by  Albrecht  Durer,  is  distinctly  mentioned  both  in  the 
"  Codice  Atlantico"  and  in  the  "  Trattato  della  Pittura." 

From  perspective  to  the  laws  regulating  light  the  step  was 
short  and  easy ;  indeed,  most  writers  of  that  and  the  preceding 
centuries  used  the  words  perspective  and  optics  as  convertible 
terms.  Alhazen,  Vitellone,  Pecham,  Roger  Bacon,  and  Miiller 
(commonly  known  as  Regiomontanus),  employed  the  two  terms 
indifferently,  to  the  extent  of  designating  the  works  of  Euclid 
and  Ptolemy  upon  the  propagation,  reflection  and  refraction  of 
light,  by  the  name  of  perspective.     Having,  in  the  first  instance, 


134  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI 

devoted  himself  to  the  practice  of  pictorial  perspective,  it  was 
not  wonderful  that  the  character  of  that  study  should  lead  Da 
Vinci  to  the  consideration  of  the  phenomena  of  light  and  vision  ; 
and  in  this  direction,  rather  than  in  the  study  of  projection,  the 
power  of  his  intellect  found  a  fair  field  to  expand. 

To  ancient  writers  the  eye  had  remained  a  mystery ;  of  the 
laws  of  vision  little  or  nothing  was  known.  The  great  majority 
believed  that  rays  of  sight  proceeded  from  the  pupil  of  the 
eye,  and,  projecting  themselves  into  space,  touched  various 
objects  and  brought  back  to  the  mind  the  impressions  thereby 
received.  A  very  few  had  seized  the  idea  that  light  came,  on 
the  contrary,  from  objects  to  us ;  how  the  light  acted  upon  the 
eye,  and  whence  originated  the  sensation  of  seeing,  none  had 
divined.  The  theories  of  shadows  and  of  reflection  were  still  im- 
perfect, because  being  reduced  to  pure  geometric  theorems,  they 
had  inherited  from  the  science  whence  they  were  derived  a  vitality 
of  which  physical  observation  w^ould  have  deprived  them.  The 
doctrine  of  refraction,  although  magisterially  taught  by  Ptolemy, 
was  still  in  its  infancy ;  and  the  invention  of  spectacles  in  the 
previous  century  by  Salvino  degli  Armati  (if,  indeed,  it  had  not 
rather  reached  us,  with  other  mighty  gifts,  from  China),  though 
useful  in  practice,  served  perhaps  to  retard  the  advance  of  theory. 
Philosophers  had  indeed  written  much,  rather  than  well,  respecting 
colour.  Accustomed  to  seek  in  language  for  the  facts  of  a  science 
which  imperatively  demanded  personal  observation,  none  had 
attained  even  an  approximate  notion  of  their  real  nature.  The 
science  of  optics,  therefore,  offered  to  Leonardo  what  he  ever 
most  loved — a  free  field  for  new  speculation  ;  nor  is  it  extraordi- 
nary that  so  attentive  an  observer,  careful  in  experiment  and 
keen  in  induction,  was  able  to  make  in  brief  time  great  and 
unexpected  progress. 

Whether  aided  by  chance  or  by  the  experience  of  some  one 
who  had  already  noticed  the  phenomenon  of  the  camera  obscura, 


^ 


PORTRAIT  OF   LEONARDO    DA   VINCI. 
In  the  Royal  Gallery  at  Florence, 


IN   SCIENCE   AND    LITERATURE.  135 

certain  it  is  that  his  study  of  this  instrument  produced  in  Leonardo's 
mind  a  total  revolution  of  the  theory  of  vision.  Venturi  appears 
to  have  been  the  first  who  proclaimed  the  fact  that  Leonardo  in 
his  study  of  the  images  in  the  camera  had  anticipated  Giambattista 
della  Porta,  to  whom  has  been  wrongly  attributed  the  invention, 
citing  in  proof  a  passage  from  the  manuscript  D  now  preserved 
at  Paris,  which  has  been  since  reprinted  by  Libri.  A  passage 
equally  explicit  from  the  '*  Codice  Atlantico"  is  worth  transcribing 
in  the  original,^  the  discovery  being  an  important  step  in  optics. 

"  I  say  that  if  a  side  of  a  building,  or  a  piazza,  or  a  landscape 
which  is  illuminated  by  the  sun,  have  opposite  to  it  a  house,  and 
that  in  the  side  of  the  house  not  exposed  to  the  sun  there  be 
made  a  small  round  hole,  all  the  objects  illuminated  will  send 
their  similitudes  through  this  hole  and  will  appear  on  the  opposite 
wall  of  the  house,  which  should  be  whitened,  and  will  be  there 
accurately  and  upside  down.  And  if  in  many  parts  of  the  said 
house  similar  holes  be  made,  a  like  effect  will  be  produced  in 
each  case.  The  reason  is  this  :  we  know  clearly  that  this  hole 
must  transmit  a  certain  portion  of  light  into  the  house,  and  that 
the  light  transmitted  by  this  means  is  caused  by  one  or  more 
luminous  bodies.  If  these  bodies  be  of  various  colours  and  forms, 
of  various  colours  and  forms  will  be  the  rays  of  the  image,  and 
of  various  forms  and  colours  the  representations  upon  the  wall." 
A  similar  passage  is  to  be  found  upon  another  leaf  of  the  "  Codice," 
but  most  readers  will  be  of  opinion  that  the  one  already  cited  is 
sufficient  to  show  that  Leonardo  had  fully  comprehended  the 
possibility  of  all  the  effects  detailed  in  the  "  Magia  Naturalis"  of 
Porta,  published  in  1558.  He  even  gives  instructions  how  to 
produce  the  spectre  of  a  crucifix  in  a  dark  room,  clearly  pre- 
figuring the  invention  of  the  microscope  for  transparent  objects, 
called  by  Kircher  and  its  other  elaborators  the  "  megascope,"  as 
distinguished  from  the  microscope,  then  applied  mainly  to  opaque 

^  See  Appendix. 


136  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI 

objects.  Meanwhile,  Leonardo's  discoveries  remaining  as  usual 
hidden  under  his  mysterious  cryptography,  It  was  left  for  others 
to  explain  the  Important  facts  deducible  from  the  camera  obscura. 
Cesare  Cesarlano,  in  152 1,  ascribes  its  invention  to  a  Benedictine 
monk,  Don  Papnutio  ;  Jerome  Cardan,  in  1550,  added  to  the 
instrument  the  lens ;  lastly,  as  before  mentioned,  Delia  Porta  had 
the  fortune,  like  Amerigo  Vespucci,  to  establish  a  reputation  not 
certainly  unmerited,  but  founded  in  great  part  on  the  labours  of 
his  predecessors.  That  Leonardo  anticipated  Cardan  in  be- 
lieving that  the  phenomena  of  the  camera  tended  to  explain 
the  laws  of  vision  is  obvious  from  his  own  words  : — "  This 
spiracle  made  in  a  window  .  .  .  conveys  within  all  similitudes 
of  the  bodies  opposed  to  it.  Thus  may  we  say  that  the  eye 
likewise  acts." 

And  his  knowledge  of  the  use  of  the  crystalline  lens  for  pro- 
ducing ocular  images  may  be  fairly  deduced  from  the  following 
note  :  "  I  assert  that  the  crystalline  sphere  is  sufficient  to 
convey  appearances  received  to  man's  mind  ;  but  for  this  pur- 
pose a  dark  place  is  necessary."  He  remarks  upon  the  move- 
ments of  the  iris,  upon  the  enlargement  of  the  pupil  In  compara- 
tive darkness  and  Its  contraction  under  the  Influence  of  light,  and 
points  out  how  unusually  sensitive  In  this  respect  are  the  eyes  of 
night-feeding  animals.  He  had  moreover  constructed  an  artifi- 
cial eye  by  which  to  demonstrate  the  action  of  the  living  organ, 
and  asserts  that  the  rays  apparently  proceeding  from  luminous 
points  are  due  to  the  movements  of  the  eyelids  and  eyelashes. 
Noticing,  as  he  informs  us,  that  "the  eye  retains  in  itself  the 
images  of  luminous  bodies  for  some  time,"  he  thence  deduces  that 
the  power  of  sight  does  not,  as  the  schools  taught,  emanate  from 
the  pupil,  but  that  "  the  appearances  enter  therein,"  and  that 
"  images  are  retained  by  the  eye  for  a  length  of  time  proportionate 
to  the  luminosity  of  the  body  by  which  they  are  caused,"  a  fact 
which  might  have  allayed  the  uneasiness  of  our  own   Newton, 


IN  SCIENCE    AND    LITERATURE.  137 

who  details  his  trouble  at  being  haunted  for  some  days  by  a 
spectre — the  only  phantasm,  one  would  think,  that  would  dare  to 
haunt  such  a  brain — the  spectre  of  the  sun.  The  effect  of 
radiation,  whereby  luminous  bodies  upon  a  dark  ground  and 
dark  bodies  upon  a  luminous  ground  appear  respectively  larger 
and  smaller  than  actuality,  is  frequently  alluded  to  in  his  '*  Treatise 
on  Painting."  The  diversity  of  the  two  images  formed  by  our 
eyes  was  not  overlooked  by  Leonardo,  who  infers  thence  that 
painting,  which  can  of  necessity  offer  but  a  single  image  to  be 
contemplated  by  both  eyes,  cannot  possibly  attain  to  the  solid 
appearance  of  nature.  He  is  thus  conscious  of  the  want,  for 
which,  however,  he  cannot  supply  a  remedy,  the  discovery  of  the 
stereoscope  being  left  for  the  present  age  and  for  our  own  country. 
He  also  notes  the  fact  that  an  object  situated  in  front  of  an 
opening  through  which  we  look  with  both  eyes,  may,  under  cer- 
tain conditions,  not  be  seen  at  all.  He  anticipated  by  a  long 
period  the  explanation  of  Francesco  Maurolico,  how  it  happens 
that  light  radiating  from  an  extensive  surface  and  passing  through 
an  aperture  of  whatever  form,  will,  at  a  certain  distance  from  the 
aperture,  assume  the  form  of  the  body  from  which  it  proceeds, 
not  that  of  the  aperture  through  which  it  has  passed.  We  are 
tempted  here  to  quote  a  passage  which,  although  at  the  first 
glance,  may  appear  to  be  dealing  with  things  beyond  human 
ken,  offers  a  singular  instance  of  the  practical  nature  of  a  mind 
which  was  never  content  till  from  a  general  hypothesis  it 
had  evolved  some  particular  and  useful  truth.  The  passage  in 
question  runs  as  follows  :  "  All  spiritual  powers,  in  proportion  as 
they  become  distant  from  their  first  or  second  cause,  occupy 
larger  space  and  suffer  diminution  in  strength."  In  another 
place  we  find  enunciated  a  corollary  to  the  first  proposition. 

A  remarkable  instance  of  Da  Vinci's  accuracy  of  judgment  is 
observable  in  his  sketching  out  a  method  of  measuring  the  in- 
tensity of  light,  which  two  centuries  later  was  practised  by  the 


138  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI 

Frenchman  Bouguer  (1729).  The  following  is  Leonardo's 
statement  of  the  problem  :  "  Given  two  opposite  shadows  pro- 
duced upon  a  single  object  between  two  lights  of  double  power 
(doppia  potenza),  and  that  these  lights  are  of  equal  density  ;  to 
discover  what  is  the  proportion  of  the  distances  between  the 
lights  and  the  object." 

He  wrote  indeed  a  complete  work  upon  shadows  and  lights, 
part  of  which  was  published  by  Manzi  in  the  Roman  edition  of 
the  "  Treatise  on  Painting,"  but  of  which  many  and  most  im- 
portant chapters  have  not  yet  been  given  to  the  world. 

Dazzled,  as  is  not  unlikely,  by  the  proofs  of  genius  which  sur- 
rounded him,  Libri  has  ventured  to  ascribe  to  Leonardo  the 
discovery  of  diffraction  of  light ;  but  the  passage  on  which  he 
founds  this  assertion,  referring  to  different  though  cognate  phe- 
nomena of  optics,  cannot  be  held  sufficient  to  deprive  Grimaldi 
of  any  honour  in  this  grand  discovery,  announced  by  him  in  1665. 
While  engaged  in  speculations  relative  to  reflection,  Leonardo 
failed  not  to  note  in  passing  what  might  at  once  have  conducted 
him  to  the  construction  of  the  burning-glass,  and  states :  ''Wherever 
reflected  rays  intersect  one  another,  the  degrees  of  heat  are  in- 
creased proportionally  to  the  number  of  the  intersecting  rays." 
In  fact,  he  has  left  us  among  his  sketches  various  combinations 
for  the  construction  of  convex  and  concave  mirrors,  spheric  and 
parabolic,  and  has  laid  down  a  mechanic  solution  of  the  so-called 
problem  of  Alhazen,  which  consists  in  finding  upon  a  curved 
mirror  the  point  where  reflection  must  be  made,  inasmuch  as 
rays  emanating  from  a  certain  place  must  unite  their  reflections 
at  a  determined  point. 

An  explanation  given,  or  perhaps  it  would  be  more  correct  to 
say  offered,  by  Leonardo  as  to  the  effect  of  spectacles,  has  reached 
us  in  an  imperfect  condition ;  but  one  observation  of  his,  preg- 
nant of  guidance  for  future  ages  had  it  but  been  made  public, 
consists  in  his  noting  the  fact,  that  whereas  a  glass  sphere  filled 


IN  SCIENCE    AND    LITERATURE.  139 

with  water  gives  behind  itself  a  reversed  image  of  the  objects 
standing  in  front,  another  sphere  placed  behind  the  first  will 
necessarily  restore  the  image  to  an  erect  position.  Here,  as  we 
see,  the  telescope  was  looming  large  on  the  horizon,  and  some 
there  be  who  have  discovered  in  a  drawing  from  the  "  Codice 
Atlantico"  the  construction  of  a  telescope  with  three  lenses.  This, 
however,  must  be  pronounced  imaginary ;  the  group  in  question, 
as  well  as  the  notes  which  accompany  it,  referring  clearly  to  the 
laws  of  perspective,  and  not  to  any  question  of  optics.  Here, 
as  elsewhere,  Leonardo  contents  himself  with  pointing  the  road 
which  others  were  to  follow,  and  nothing  remains  to  lead  us  to 
suppose  that  he  ever  carried  out  the  intention  which,  as  another 
very  short  note  shows,  was  clearly  present  to  his  mind :  "  Fa 
occhiali  da  vedere  ....  la  luna  grande."  Make  glasses  to  see 
....  the  moon  large. 

His  observations  upon  the  blue-coloured  shadows  which  yellow 
light  from  the  north  projects  in  a  clear  sky  behind  various  bo- 
dies are  worthy  of  notice  as  having  induced  Otto  di  Guericke, 
Buffon,  Scheffer,  and  their  successors,  to  investigate  the  cause 
of  the  complementary  subjective  colours  in  shadows,  although 
the  problem  was  not  by  any  means  satisfactorily  solved.  In 
the  "  Treatise  on  Painting,"  printed  at  Rome,  are  numerous  and 
accurate  remarks  relative  to  harmony  and  contrast  of  colours,  on 
the  action  of  coloured  glasses  and  similar  subjects,  which  were 
not  taken  up  by  students  of  physics  till  long  after  the  artist's 
death ;  and  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  assume  that  many  more 
speculations  on  the  question  of  colour  might  be  found,  could  the 
more  extended  treatise  be  recovered  which  is  supposed  to  have 
been  transported  to  this  country. 

To  a  student  of  the  phenomena  of  light,  as  we  have  already  seen 
Leonardo  to  be,  those  of  heat  could  scarcely  fail  to  offer  a  tempt- 
ing field  for  exploration ;  and  we  do  in  fact  find  various  notes 
made  by  him  referring  to  this  kindred  branch  of  philosophy. 


I40  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI 

But  whether  he  did  not  carry  his  researches  far  enough,  or 
whether — which  is  by  no  means  improbable — the  record  of  his 
labours  has  been  lost,  the  fact  remains  that  little  of  actual  value 
is  now  recoverable.  Enough,  however,  still  subsists  to  show  that 
here,  as  elsewhere,  his  mind  presaged  untrodden  fields  of  science 
hereafter  to  be  claimed  as  part  of  man's  ever-enlarging  dominion. 

The  words  light,  heat,  flame,  elementary  fire — nay,  even  the 
sun — were  used  by  the  learned  of  the  fifteenth  century  with  a  very 
imperfect  notion  of  their  distinct  meaning,  and  formed,  in  truth,  a 
wordy  labyrinth  within  which  disputants  struggled,  unable  to 
find  the  clue  of  sound  reason  which  should  aid  them  to  emerge 
from  an  atmosphere  of  metaphor  and  quibble.  Occasionally  a 
remark,  such  as  ''  the  heat  of  the  sun  makes  wine,"  or  "  motus  est 
causa  caloris,"  seems  to  prefigure  the  discoveries  of  later  ages  ; 
but  they  must  be  looked  upon  as  specious  analogies  and  relations 
between  phenomena  rather  intuitive  than  proved,  and  which 
consequently  remained  sterile  even  in  the  minds  of  those  by 
whom  they  were  first  enunciated.  What  clearness  of  intellect 
may  have  done  for  this  universal  investigator  we  have  no  means 
of  ascertaining,  and  must,  therefore,  assume  that  he  employed 
the  word  heat  in  the  ordinary  scholastic  dialect  of  the  time.  The 
practical  tendency  of  his  mind  to  reduce  everything  to  experi- 
ment is,  however,  obvious  here  as  elsewhere  in  the  few  notes 
which  we  possess. 

"  Of  force  as  a  cause  of  fire  : — If  you  beat  a  stout  iron  rod 
with  frequent  blows  between  an  anvil  and  hammer  upon  the 
same  spot,  you  will  be  able  upon  the  spot  so  struck  to  light  a 
match."  This  mere  record  of  a  phenomenon  must  not  take 
rank  as  the  discovery  of  the  equivalent  character  of  heat  and 
motion  ;  it  is,  however,  a  shadowing  forth  of  the  idea  not  without 
value.  The  dilation  of  bodies  by  heat  had  clearly  occupied  the 
artist's  mind,  who  deduces  from  it  the  explanation  of  various 
phenomena. 


IN  SCIENCE   AND   LITERATURE.  141 

"  If  we  heat  water  which  is  turbid  by  reason  of  mud,  it  soon 
becomes  clear ;  and  this  takes  place  because  by  heating  the  water 
it  expands,  in  expanding  it  becomes  rarefied,  and  being  rarefied, 
can  no  longer  support  whatever  bodies  heavier  than  itself  may 
be  found  in  it."  A  lecturer  of  the  present  day  would  scarcely 
use  different  terms. 

His  remarks  upon  the  radiation  of  heat  are  also  curious,  and 
drawn  as  usual  from  personal  observation. 

"  A  globe  filled  with  cold  water  sends  forth  rays  obtained  from 
fire,  which  are  hotter  than  that  fire.  A  concave  mirror,  although 
cold,  collects  the  rays  of  fire,  and  reflects  them  hotter  than  the 
fire.  Let  the  experiment  be  made  of  heating  a  piece  of  copper, 
and  of  causing  a  flame  to  pass  through  a  round  hole  equal  in  size 
and  distance  from  the  mirror  to  the  heated  copper.  You  will 
thus  obtain  two  bodies  equal  in  distance,  varying  in  heat  and  in 
light,  and  you  will  find  that  the  greater  heat  here  will  cause  the 
mirror  to  reflect  a  heat  more  intense  than  the  flame  already 
mentioned." 

A  sketch  in  the  "  Codice  Atlantico"  would  seem  to  indicate 
that  Leonardo  had  given  great  attention  to  the  subject  of  concave 
mirrors,  and  to  chemical  analysis  by  aid  of  these  instruments  ; 
for  we  find  exposed  to  the  action  of  two  mirrors  a  small  plate 
marked  by  the  artist  with  the  word  "diamante."  Nevertheless 
it  would  be  rash  to  conclude  on  the  evidence  of  this  sketch  that 
Da  Vinci  had  actually  experimented  on  the  rare  and  valued 
crystal  of  carbon,  more  especially  inasmuch  as  we  nowhere  find 
any  record  of  the  results,  or  even  any  mention  that  the  experi- 
ment was  ever  made.  It  is  not  unlikely  that  the  word  diamante 
may  have  been  used  by  Da  Vinci  to  express  not  the  diamond, 
but  the  far  commoner  mineral  known  to  ancient  authors  as 
magneSj  in  fact  the  loadstone.  Writers  of  the  middle  ages  used 
the  words  magnes  and  adamas  indifferently,  to  which  circum- 
stance has  been  attributed  the   French  name  for  the   magnet, 


142  LEONARDO   DA     VINCI 

aimant,  a  corrupted  form  of  adamas ;  and  it  is  by  no  means  im- 
probable that  Leonardo  may  have  exposed  a  loadstone  to  the 
action  of  the  burning-glass. 

At   this    period    very   little    was    known    on   the   subject    of 
magnetism.    Classic  writers  had  indeed  recorded  the  singular  pro- 
perty of  attracting  iron  possessed  by  the  stone  named  magnes ;  in 
the  twelfth  or  thirteenth  century,  whether  from  that  cradle  of  in- 
vention, China,  or  by  independent  discovery,  European  philoso- 
phers had  become  acquainted  with  the  tendency  of  loadstone  to 
turn  to  the  pole.     Its  faculty  of  transmitting  to  steel  the  same 
power   once  discovered,    the  mariner's    compass  was  complete. 
Thus  far  knowledge  had  advanced  ;  but  upon  this  small  foun- 
dation of  truth  -  had  been  erected  such   a  marvellous   structure 
of  fantastic  and  all  but  miraculous  qualities,  wholly  devoid  of  ex- 
perimental basis,   that  the  true  study  of  magnetic  science  can 
scarcely  be  considered  to  have  begun.     There  did  indeed  exist 
one  or  more  copies  of  a  letter  written  in  1269  by  Pietro  Pelerin 
de  Maricourt  to  a  certain  Siger  de  Fouquancourt,  in  which  the 
principles  of  the  doctrine  of  magnetism  were  laid  down  upon  a 
truly  scientific  plan ;  but  the  letter  was  little  known,  and  those 
who  had  read  it  unfortunately  neglected  the  sounder  and  better 
based  part  of  the  work  to  chase  the  philosophic  ignis  fatuus  of  a 
perpetual  motion  to  be  maintained  by  magnetism.     That  the 
mysterious  activity  of  the  loadstone,  a  phenomenon  so  surprising 
as  to  have  induced  in  many  a  belief  that  the  mineral  was  actually 
endowed  with  life,  should  have  remained  unnoticed  by  Leonardo 
would  indeed  have  been  amazing ;  in  this  branch  of  science,  how- 
ever, his  recorded  observations  are  but  few,  and  we  find  but  little 
to  cite  beyond  two  memoranda  of  facts  either  wholly  unknown 
or  very  carelessly  noted  by  others.     These  are  the  power  of 
magnetic  force  to  act  through  intervening  obstacles,  and  the  re- 
ciprocity  of  attraction    between    the   loadstone   and   the   iron. 
Albertus  Magnus,  one  of  the  highest  scientific  authorities  in  those 


IN   SCIENCE    AND    LITERATURE.  143 

days,  in  his  work  on  "  Stones  and  Minerals"  records  with  obvious 
wonder  a  fact  which  he  had  learnt  from  a  friend,  "  a  curious  in- 
vestigator and  experimenter  on  new  things,"  how  that  ''  the 
Emperor  Frederick  possessed  a  loadstone  which  did  not  attract 
iron  ;  on  the  contrary,  iron  attracted  it."  Leonardo  had  noted 
down,  "  The  lines  of  the  loadstone  and  the  iron  pass  through  a 
wall,  but  that  which  is  lighter  is  attracted  by  the  heavier.  If 
loadstone  and  iron  be  of  equal  weight,  they  attract  with  equal 
force." 

In  acoustics  it  might  not  unreasonably  be  expected  that  he 
should  make  progress ;  and  whether  it  be  that  he  really  devoted 
more  time  to  this  branch  of  science,  or  that  his  notes  have  been 
more  carefully  preserved,  certain  it  is  that  we  possess  distinct 
evidence  of  his  prescience  in  a  difficult  and  almost  unexplored 
field. 

So  little  experimental  knowledge  upon  the  laws  of  sound  had 
at  this  period  been  accumulated,  that  while  music  had  certainly 
made  progress  as  an  art,  acoustics  as  a  science  had  remained  in 
pretty  much  the  same  position  as  it  had  been  left  by  the  semi- 
mythic  Pythagoras.  Leonardo,  noted  for  his  skill  as  a  player  on 
the  lyre,  as  we  learn  from  Vasari  and  other  biographers,  and 
master  of  Antonio  Migliarotto,  who  accompanied  him  as  a  pupil 
to  the  courts  both  of  Sforza  and  of  Gonzaga,  was  little  likely 
to  content  himself  with  the  vague  assertions  as  to  sound  which 
were  adopted  without  examination  by  all  writers  in  turn.  The 
processes  by  which  he  reduced  speculation  to  certainty  have  not 
been  as  yet  fully  made  known  ;  the  conclusions,  however  simple 
they  may  appear  to  scholars  of  our  own  time,  are  such  as  denote 
the  grasp  of  an  intellect  immeasurably  superior  to  that  of  his 
contemporaries.  We  find  him  analyzing  the  phenomenon  of 
echo,  and  deducing  thence  the  law  that  sound  requires  a 
constant  time  in  which  to  traverse  a  fixed  space,  by  which 
means  he  calculates  the  distance  of  the  spot  which  has  given 


144  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI 

birth  to  the  thunder-clap.  His  own  words  are  :  "  It  is  possible  to 
know  by  the  ear  the  distance  of  thunder,  if  we  have  first  seen 
lightning,  by  analogy  with  the  echo."  In  this  instance,  more- 
over, we  are  enabled  to  trace  the  progress  of  the  thought 
towards  completion,  for  after  many  observations  relative  to  the 
echo,  we  find  in  the  ''  Codice  Atlantico"  the  sketch  of  a  clock 
fitted  with  a  lever  to  stop  the  action,  and  the  following  inscrip- 
tion : — "  If  the  tops  of  the  trees  and  the  clouds  be  without 
movement,  it  will  be  easy  by  aid  of  this  instrument  to  demon- 
strate the  distance  of  the  thunder."  It  is  also  clear  from  the 
condition  of  tranquillity  which  he  postulates — if  this  mathe- 
matical term  be  allowed — that  Leonardo  considered  the  wind's 
action  capable  of  affecting  the  velocity  of  sound,  or  at  all  events 
of  modifying  its  intensity.  Another  acute  observation  relative 
to  the  distant  action  of  vibratory  movements  is  recorded  with 
more  than  usual  care  by  our  artist :  "  A  blow  given  to  a  bell 
corresponds  with  and  will  communicate  motion  to  another  and 
similar  bell ;  and  the  string  of  a  lute  being  struck  will  reply  and 
give  motion  to  a  string  of  similar  tone  in  another  lute  ;  and  this 
can  be  rendered  visible  by  placing  a  straw  upon  the  string  of  the 
second  lute."  The  researches  of  Galileo  and  other  philosophers 
have  made  this  fact  the  common  property  of  all ;  but  a  century 
sooner  the  record  had  been  hidden  among  the  treasures  of 
wisdom  which  Leonardo  had  amassed,  but  which  he  neglected 
to  distribute. 

Some  other  student  of  natural  phenomena  would  appear  to 
have  originated  the  theory  that  the  prolonged  sound  consequent 
on  a  blow  was  really  produced  by  the  ear  of  the  hearer,  and  not 
by  the  bell  itself;  to  which  Leonardo  replies  in  the  following 
terms  : — V  Were  this  proposition  based  upon  truth,  we  should  by 
simply  applying  the  palm  of  the  hand  be  able  to  stop  the  sound ; 
and  particularly  at  the  beginning  of  the  force  by  which  the 
actual  tone  is  produced,  it  would  be  of  no  avail  to  touch  the  bell 


AV  SCIENCE   AND   LITERATURE.  145 

with  the  hand,  as  the  ear  would  store  up  the  tone  simulta- 
neously ;  whereas  we  see  that  the  blow  being  given  and  the 
hand  applied  to  the  object  stricken,  sound  ceases  at  once."  In 
the  "  Codice  Trivulziano  "  we  find  Leonardo  taking  up  the  well- 
known  experiment,  which  according  to  Nicomachus  and  lambli- 
chus,  was  tried  by  Pythagoras,  and  he  raises  the  pertinent 
question  : 

"  Is  the  sound  in  the  hammer  or  in  the  anvil  ? 

"  I  say  :  seeing  that  the  anvil  is  not  suspended,  it  cannot 
resound ;  but  the  hammer  resounds  from  the  leap  which  it 
makes  after  the  blow  ;  and  were  the  anvil  to  resound  .... 
just  as  a  bell,  no  matter  by  what  material  it  be  struck,  yields  the 
same  depth  of  tone,  so  would  the  anvil,  struck  by  no  matter  what 
hammer.  If  therefore  you  hear  various  sounds  from  hammers 
of  various  sizes,  the  sound  proceeds  from  the  hammers  and  not 
from  the  anvil." 

In  this  instance,  however,  we  are  not  so  far  affected  by  what 
Macaulay  has  wittily  designated  as  lues  biographica,  as  to  sub- 
scribe blindly  to  the  decision  of  Leonardo.  We  see  him  here 
as  elsewhere  striving  to  bring  dogma  to  the  test  of  experiment ; 
but  the  experiment  is  one  far  more  complicated  than  he  sup- 
posed, and  the  laws  of  harmony  are  far  too  complicated  and 
seemingly  self-contradictory  to  be  condensed  into  the  brief  ipse 
dixit  with  which  Da  Vinci  has  passed  judgment  as  to  whether 
the  anvil  or  the  hammers  gave  forth  the  sounds  in  question. 

But  the  principles  of  mathematics,  their  application  to  per- 
spective and  to  optics,  research  into  the  laws  governing  the 
minute  molecular  actions  which  in  turn  give  birth  to  light,  heat, 
and  magnetism,  the  more  material  changes  by  which  are  pro- 
duced the  phsenomena  of  sound,  all  these  sufficed  not  to  the 
ever  active  spirit  of  Da  Vinci,  never  content  till  a  discovery  had 
yielded  some  practical  and  useful  fruit. 

We  have  already  learnt  from  Vasarl  that  in   his   early  youth 


146  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI 

the  artist  had  proposed  to  transport,  by  means  of  ingenious 
machinery,  gigantic  edifices,  curiously  anticipating  the  feats  of 
transatlantic  engineers,  who  treat  huge  hotels  as  merely  pieces  on 
the  chessboard  of  newly-planned  cities.  One  of  the  earliest  pro- 
posals of  Leonardo  was  to  elevate  the  Baptistery  of  Florence,  the 
"  il  mio  bel  San  Giovanni,"  of  Dante,  upon  a  basement  of  granite, 
and  the  effect  of  such  an  achievement  would  probably  have 
added  much  dignity  to  the  building,  although  we  may  well 
rejoice  that  so  cherished  a  monument  was  not  trusted  to  the 
self-confidence  of  the  young  engineer.  Excavation  of  new 
canals,  draining  of  lakes  and  marshes,  tunnelling  of  mountains, 
were  the  ordinary  dreams  of  his  youth;  When,  however,  the 
calmer  and  sounder  reasoning  of  mature  age  had  replaced 
the  unbridled  self-confidence  of  early  years,  we  find  him  no 
longer  anxious  to  add  new  weapons  to  the  arsenal  of  mechanical 
science,  but  employing,  in  order  to  establish  the  science  of  force 
and  motion,  the  principles  of  experimental  philosophy  in  which 
he  had  always  delighted.  In  the  study  of  mechanics,  he  is  anxious 
to  establish  first  principles  ;  the  ancient  authors  to  whom,  as  to 
oracles,  all  the  inquirers  of  that  day  were  taught  to  look  up,  had 
given  few  and  mysterious  utterances,  the  modern  none  at  all. 
Guided  by  these  imperfect  helps,  Leonardo  encountered  the 
problem  of  the  vis  inertice.y  on  which  he  conceives  the  whole 
fabric  of  the  laws  of  motion  to  rest. 

"No  insensible  thing  can  move  of  itself :  its  motion  must  be 
caused  by  others."  What  then  are  the  "  others "  to  whose 
action  is  due  the  motion  of  objects  devoid  of  spontaneous 
mobility  ?  He  answers,  "  Force,"  which  he  proceeds  to  define 
as  follows  : — "  Force  is  a  power  spiritual,  incorporeal,  and  im- 
palpable, which  occurs  for  a  short  period  in  bodies  which,  from 
accidental  violence,  are  out  of  their  natural  repose.  I  call  it 
spiritual,  because  in  it  there  is  an  invisible  life  ;  and  incorporeal 
and  impalpable,  because  the  body  in  which  it  originates  increases 
neither  in  form  nor  in  weight." 


W  SCIENCE   AND   LITERATURE.  \a,1 

Nevertheless  our  philosopher,  observing,  as  he  could  not  fall 
to  do,  that  these  Insensible  things  had  an  Invincible  tendency  at 
times  to  move  of  themselves  when  left  entirely  to  themselves, 
and  without  any  Intervention  from  "  others,"  elucidates  yet  more 
fully  his  doctrine  :  "  Material  motion  Is  made  by  weight  or  by 
force.  That  which  is  made  by  weight  sometimes  generates 
force,  and  at  other  times  another  weight,  and  that  made  by 
force,  acts  In  a  similar  manner." 

It  seems,  then,  that  attraction  or  gravitation,  under  the  title  of 
weight,  Is  rated  by  Leonardo  among  the  causes  of  motion, 
although  he  distinguishes  it  from  shock  or  Impetus,  to  which, 
more  especially,  he  confines  the  name  of  force.  The  relation 
existing  between  force  and  the  uniform  velocity  generated  in 
bodies  upon  which  force  has  ceased  to  act,  Is  represented  by 
him  in  the  following  terms  : — 

"  If  a  power  move  a  body  in  a  given  time  a  given  distance, 
the  same  power  will  move  the  whole  body  in  half  the  time  half 
the  distance,  and  in  twice  the  time  twice  the  distance  ;"  a  phrase 
which  would  be  more  tersely  rendered  now-a-days  by  stating  that 
the  distance  traversed  by  uniform  motion  is  proportionate  to 
the  time. 

Not,  however,  to  dwell  too  long  upon  phrases  which  are  apt 
to  degenerate  into  beating  the  air,  it  Is  more  satisfactory  to 
behold  him  combating  dogmas  by  reason  ;  as,  where  the  school- 
men having  affirmed  that  bodies  hurled  or  discharged  were 
projected  forward  by  the  motion  of  the  air  behind  them,  Da 
Vinci  controverts  the  assertion  with  the  remark,  "  No  object 
moved  can  ever  be  quicker  than  the  velocity  of  the  power  which 
moves  it."  Free  from  the  prejudices  of  authority,  and  fortified 
by  observation  and  experiment,  Leonardo,  at  the  close  of  the 
fifteenth  century,  ventures  to  assert  that  "  every  action  must  of 
necessity  be  the  result  of  motion,"  thus  anticipating  Galileo,  and 
preluding  the  discovery  of  the  necessarily  equivalent  relations 


148  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI 

between  the  divers  phaenomena  of  nature.  To  this  he  subjoins  : 
"  Every  body  weighs  in  the  line  of  its  own  motion ;"  the  term 
weight  being  here  considered  equivalent  to  pressure. 

Uniform  movement  is  not,  however,  the  only,  nor  indeed  the 
most  usual,  condition  of  nature  ;  the  fall  of  heavy  bodies  does  not 
occur  with  uniform  velocity,  and  Leonardo,  again  in  advance  of 
Galileo,  informs  us  that  "  a  thing  which  descends  freely  in  every 
grade  of  motion  acquires  a  grade  of  velocity ;"  a  well-chosen 
expression,  which  indicates  the  progressive  nature  of  the  action, 
and  is  not  far  from  disclosing  the  law  of  falling  bodies.  Speaking 
of  percussion,  he  employs  the  phrase,  "  Percussion  is  a  force 
reduced  into  a  short  time,"  adding  that  ''  percussion  exceeds,  in 
similar  time,  all  other  natural  powers."  The  mechanism  used  by 
Leonardo  in  studying  the  laws  of  the  shock  of  bodies  was  the 
same  employed  in  later  ages  by  Borelli,  Desaguliers,  and  other 
investigators  of  mechanical  principles — that  is,  elastic  balls  sus- 
pended by  two  threads,  and  allowed  to  fall  against  each  other 
from  different  heights.  He  is  the  first  author  that  we  find,  since 
the  time  of  Archimedes,  occupying  himself  respecting  the  centre 
of  gravity,  and  illustrating  his  doctrines  by  means  of  figures  in 
various  positions,  either  with  or  without  burdens.  Much  of  what 
we  here  record  is  so  simple  that  it  will  perhaps  appear  ludicrous 
to  claim  credit  for  Da  Vinci  on  such  slender  grounds.  Such  will 
not  be  the  opinion  of  those  who  have  found  in  works  by  learned 
men  of  far  later  date  assertions  of  startling  absurdity,  supported 
by  all  the  dignity  of  copper-plate  illustrations,  yet  bearing  obvious 
proof  of  having  never  been  submitted  to  the  simple  test  of  actual 
experiment. 

The  fact  that  a  body  could  be  under  the  influence  of  more 
than  one  motive  power  at  the  same  time  was  clearly  perceptible 
to  Leonardo,  who  thus  opened  the  path  to  those  who  afterwards 
discovered  the  rules  of  compound  motion.  He  analyzed  with 
considerable  accuracy  the  double  action  of  weight  and  pressure, 


IN   SCIENCE   AND   LITERATURE.  v  149 

owing  to  which  a  body  presses  upon  and  descends  an  inclined 
plane,  and  has  reduced  to  rule  the  variations  of  gravity  in  a 
suspended  body  which  is  raised  by  a  cord  regulated  according 
to  the  suspended  weight ;  in  other  words,  he  calculated  the  pro- 
portion borne  by  the  weight  to  the  sine  of  the  angle  formed  by 
the  suspending  cord  with  a  vertical  line.  He  made  many 
experiments  on  the  resistance  of  solids  fixed  at  only  one  extremity, 
or  supported  on  two  points,  and  indicated  the  method  of  testing 
the  resistance  of  bodies  to  traction  or  to  pressure,  employing,  as 
we  have  previously  noted,  similar  mechanical  aids  to  those  of 
our  own  days.  As  an  instance  of  the  cautious  accuracy  with 
which  he  secured,  so  to  speak,  the  foundations  before  advancing 
a  step  in  the  solid  road  of  discovery,  it  may  be  worth  while,  even 
at  the  risk  of  tediousness,  to  transcribe  his  instructions  for  con- 
ducting experiments  upon  breakage. 

"  A  record  as  to  how  you  should  experiment  upon  the  rule,  how 
much  weight  a  wire  of  iron  will  support,  to  which  experience 
you  will  attain  by  this  means.  Attach  an  iron  wire,  two  braccia 
(forty-six  inches)  long  or  thereby,  in  some  strong  place  ;  to  this 
fasten  a  basket,  dish,  or  some  similar  article,  into  which  a  hopper 
shall  pour  through  a  small  hole  fine  sand,  and  when  this  iron 
wire  can  sustain  no  more  it  will  break ;  apply  a  spring  in  such 
guise  that  the  hole  in  the  hopper  shall  at  once  close  up,  so  as  no 
more  sand  may  fall  in  the  basket,  the  which  will  fall  to  the 
ground,  being  no  more  than  half  a  finger  s  distance ;  note  the 
weight  when  the  wire  broke  ;  note,  likewise,  at  what  part  of  itself 
the  wire  broke,  and  renew  this  experiment  many  times,  to  satisfy 
yourself  whether  it  breaks  always  at  the  same  point 

"  Afterwards  take  a  wire,  shorter  than  the  first  by  one  half,  and 
note  how  much  more  weight  this  will  support ;  then  take  one  a 
fourth  of  the  first  length,  and  so  bit  by  bit  of  various  lengths, 
noting  always  the  weight  by  which  and  the  point  where  each 
breaks.     And  this  experiment  you  should  try  with  all  metals, 


150  LEONARDO   DA     VINCI 

woods,  Stones,  cords,  and  all  things  which  can  be  made  fit  to 
sustain  weight.  And  make  of  each  thing  a  general  rule,  and 
similarly  make  one  of  terrestrial  supports,  that  is,  such  supports 
as  have  one  extremity  fixed  in  the  ground  or  directed  towards 
the  ground." 

To  many  persons  the  minute  accuracy  of  these  details  will 
appear  almost  excessive,  and  a  scientific  observer  of  the  present 
day  would  reasonably  assume  much  of  what  is  here  detailed  so 
cautiously  to  be  merely  axiomatic  ;  but  in  the  infancy  of  science 
such  minuteness  was  indispensable ;  and  the  close  personal 
observation  of  Leonardo  was  certainly  not  valueless  in  an  age 
content  to  repose  implicit  faith  in  any  dogma  which  bore  a  high- 
sounding  name.  The  step-by-step  progress  of  the  artist  contrasts 
favourably  with  the  calmly  enunciated  dogmas  of  Aristotle,  which, 
in  virtue  of  the  mighty  name  of  their  author,  were  to  be  held 
not  merely  independent  of  but  superior  to  the  test  of  actual 
experiment.  Objects  thrown  from  a  height  reach  the  ground 
in  times  proportionate  to  their  weight :  such  was  the  doctrine 
of  the  Greek  sage.  Galileo  requests  the  professors  of  the  Pisan 
University  to  meet  him  at  the  well-known  Leaning  Tower.  In 
their  presence  he  lets  fall  a  ten-pound  weight  and  a  one-pound  ; 
and,  with  the  all  but  simultaneous  sound  of  the  fall  yet  vibrating 
in  their  ears,  the  professors  unanimously  declare  Aristotle  to  be 
right  and  Galileo  wrong.  Truly  the  time  was  full  ripe  for  truth 
to  make  way  against  dogma,  and  no  blame  can  be  ascribed  to 
the  teacher  who  in  such  an  age  made  ample  allowance — super- 
fluously ample  as  it  may  seem  to  us — for  the  ignorance  and 
prejudice  of  his  pupils. 

More  remarkable  still  are  the  experiments  made  by  Leonardo 
upon  attrition,  and  the  laws  deduced  by  him  therefrom.  He 
measured  the  amount  of  weight  needed  to  move  bodies  resting 
upon  horizontal  planes,  and  set  in  motion  by  threads  passing  over 
well-adjusted  pulleys,  and  experimented  on  the  angle  of  inclina- 


IN  SCIENCE    AND    LITERATURE.  ^     151 

tion  necessary  to  be  given  to  the  plane  in  order  that  the  bodies 
supported  on  it  should  begin  to  slide.  By  varying,  as  he  has 
charged  us  to  do,  the  circumstances  of  his  experiments,  he 
deduced  various  maxims  which  may  well  be  put  on  record  : — 

'*  The  friction  of  bodies  is  of  as  many  different  degrees  as  are 
the  varieties  of  the  lubricity  of  the  bodies  which  are  rubbed 
together. 

"  In  those  bodies  of  which  the  surfaces  are  smoothest,  friction 
is  easiest. 

"In  bodies  of  equal  lubricity,  the  heavier  body  offers  the 
greater  resistance  in  its  friction. 

"  Every  body  resists  in  friction  with  a  power  equal  to  one-fourth 
of  its  weight,  the  ground  being  level  and  the  surfaces  smooth. 

"  When  a  smooth  obliquity  disposes  a  smooth  heavy  body  to 
pass  on  the  line  of  motion  by  the  fourth  part  of  its  weight,  then 
the  heavy  body  is  of  itself  disposed  to  motion  by  descent. 

"  The  friction  of  a  body  which  has  sides  of  different  magnitude 
will  be  always  equal,  on  whatever  side  it  may  rest,  providing 
only  that  it  do  not  adhere  to  (no7i  si ficchi  sopra)  the  plane  with 
which  it  is  in  contact. 

**  The  friction  of  a  heavy  body  is  of  equal  power  if  produced 
by  circumvolution  as  when  in  a  plane. 

"  There  is  yet  a  fourth  class  of  friction  ....  that  of  the  wheel 
of  a  car  which  moves  upon  the  ground,  which  does  not  rub  but 
touch,  and  may  be  said  to  be  by  nature  a  journeying  with  steps 
of  infinite  smallness  or  littleness." 

Thus  at  a  distance  of  two  centuries  before  Amontons,  and 
three  before  Coulomb,  Leonardo  recognized  the  fact  that  the 
resistance  to  attrition  depends  both  upon  the  nature  of  the  bodies, 
their  condition,  and  their  surfaces ;  he  discerned  that  the  smooth- 
ness of  surface  diminishes  the  attrition,  and  that  resistance 
increases  by  the  increased  weight  of  bodies.  He  gives,  it  is 
true,  but  one  measure  for  all  cases  of  resistance,  which  may  have 


154  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI 

suggestions,  proposals' of  which  he  himself  at  a  later  date  (yet 
perhaps  long  before  others)  recognized  the  strange  or  absurd 
character.  If,  then,  he  chanced  to  recollect  the  fact  and  the 
whereabouts  of  his  former  erroneous  entry,  he  would  turn  to  the 
page,  and,  as  we  often  find,  by  a  simple  *'  falso"  or  an  idiomatic 
'*  non  e  desso,"  record  without  any  ceremony  the  judgment  of 
his  sounder  reason.  He  would  then  note  down,  either  on  the 
same  page  or  in  some  other  of  his  numerous  common-place 
books  (if  that  modern  phrase  may  be  permitted),  the  amended 
conclusion  to  which  sounder  reason,  based  it  may  be  on  more 
extended  experiments,  had  led  him.  By  this  method  he  accu- 
mulated little  by  little  the  definitive  materials  for  the  various 
treatises  which  he  was  ever  hoping  to  set  in  order,  but  which 
seem  in  most  instances  to  have  been  postponed  till  the  coming 
of  that  night  in  which  no  man  can  work. 

At  times,  however,  it  would  occur  that  Leonardo,  even  after  he 
had  discovered  an  error  and  left  record  of  an  ascertained  truth 
manifestly  at  variance  with  his  previously  stated  opinion,  omitted 
to  annotate  or  to  cancel  the  earlier  statement ;  and  thus  it  happened 
that  the  friar  Luigi  Maria  Arconati,  who  in  1643  collected  and 
transcribed  Leonardo's  work  "  On  the  Motion  and  Measurement 
of  Waters,"  allowed  to  remain  among  the  other  matters  a  chapter, 
"  How  to  make  a  Perpetual  Motion  by  Water,"  the  worthy  monk 
probably  deeming  it  the  chief  jewel  in  his  author's  literary  crown. 
Cardinali,  who  compiled  a  collection  of  Italian  authors  who  have 
written  about  the  motion  of  water,  included,  possibly  without 
examination,  this  chapter,  which  will  be  found  in  vol.  x.  p.  443 
of  his  work,  published  at  Bologna  in  the  beginning  of  the  pre- 
sent century. 

It  was  probably  in  early  youth  that  Leonardo  published  this 
unlucky  chapter ;.  that  he  had  afterwards  convinced  himself  of 
the  impossibility  of  perpetual  motion  is  beyond  all  doubt.  In 
the  "  Codice  Atlantico,"  against  a  sketch  of  one  of  the  numerous 


IN  SCIENCE   AND   LITERATURE. 

pieces  of  mechanism  designed  for  this  purpose,  he  has  written 
the  significant  word  '*  sofistico,"  an  adjective  applicable  rather  to 
the  doctrine  of  perpetual  motion  than  to  the  individual  machine 
in  question.  But  we  are  not  left  to  the  evidence  of  a  single 
epithet  to  prove  how  thoroughly  the  artist's  better  judgment  had 
abjured  the  errors  of  his  youth,  when  in  the  same  volume  we 
read  :  "  It  is  impossible  that  a  descending  weight  can  raise  to 
the  height  from  which  it  started  a  weight  equal  to  itself,  for  any. 
length  of  time.  Be  silent,  therefore,  thou  who  proposest  by  a 
counterpoise  to  draw  water  of  a  greater  weight  than  the  counter- 
poise which  raises  it.  It  is  a  fact  that  if  you  lift  a  thousand 
pounds  to  the  height  of  one  braccio  (23  inches)  its  descent  will 
raise  about  a  hundred  pounds  of  water  to  the  height  of  nine 
braccia  and  not  more,  for  the  above  reasons."  And  again  he  de- 
clares it  '*  impossible  to  create  by  any  instrument  a  movement  of 
water  from  below  to  above,  by  means  of  the  descent  of  which  it 
shall  be  possible  to  raise  a  similar  weight  of  water  to  the  height 
from  which  it  has  descended."  He  therefore  concludes  this 
argument  by  offering  to  the  seekers  after  perpetual  motion  the 
following  sound  advice  :  '*  The  water  which  mounts  to  the  place 
of  the  counterpoise  which  moves  it,  will  never  be  equal  in  weight 
to  the  counterpoise.  Therefore,  the  time  which  it  takes  you  to 
raise  the  counterpoise,  employ  it  in  raising  so  much  water,  and 
so  save  the  cost  of  the  machinery." 

In  one  of  the  manuscripts  now  existing  at  Paris  we  read  :  **  No 
object  set  in  motion  by  its  own  movement  in  falling  will  ever  be 
sufficient  to  carry  it  back  to  its  original  height ;  therefore  motion 
must  cease.  And  if  a  body  by  moving  another  body  produce 
force,  that  force  accompanies  the  body  so  set  in  motion,  and  by 
so  moving  it,  consumes  itself,  and  when  so  consumed,  the  body 
which  has  been  moved  by  it  is  not  in  condition  to  reproduce 
force.  Therefore  no  object  moved  can  have  a  long  duration, 
because  when  causes  fail  so  also  do  effects."   Could  we,  therefore. 


156  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI 

bring  into  one  view  all  that  Leonardo  continued  to  inculcate 
down  to  his  latest  days,  we  should  find  him  going  back,  as  was 
his  wont,  to  the  subject,  accumulating  proof  upon  proof  in  favour 
of  his  new  thesis,  and  sedulously  clearing  himself  from  all  suspi- 
cion of  being  any  longer  under  the  influence  of  the  fantastic 
dream  of  perpetual  motion. 

Mechanics  are  the  link  which  connects  pure  science  with  the 
material  wants  of  man,  and  Leonardo  was  little  likely  to  inter- 
rupt at  this  precise  point  the  chain  of  his  studies.  With  him 
knowledge  was  valued  not  for  itself  only,  but  for  its  fruits,  and 
his  mind  was  of  that  practical  order  that  would  have  received 
barren  intellectual  progress  as  a  poor  recompense  for  labour. 
The  treasures  which  he  had  amassed  were  to  be  forthwith 
utilized,  and  by  his  labours  as  engineer  and  architect,  both  mili- 
tary and  civil,  by  his  skill  as  a  practical  mechanic,  as  a  metal 
founder,  even  as  a  manager  of  court  masks  and  festivals,  he  was 
able  to  conciliate  the  favour  of  princes  while  deserving  the 
thanks  of  their  people. 

All  who  consult  the  map  of  Italy  and  contemplate  the  huge 
sweep  of  the  Alps  around  the  subjacent  plains  of  Piedmont  and 
Lombardy,  who  look  farther  and  note  how  closely  the  central 
ridge  of  the  Apennines  presses  upon  Tuscany,  will  perceive  that 
no  science  could  be  more  immediately  needed  or  would  produce 
more  rapidly  valuable  fruits  than  that  of  hydraulics.  Da 
Vinci's  clear  insight  taught  him  that  hydraulics  could  not  be 
applied  with  any  security  of  success,  with  any  guarantee  against 
frightful  dangers,  unless  the  principles  of  hydrostatics  were 
thoroughly  comprehended.  Accordingly,  we  find  him  eagerly 
searching  out  the  general  laws  which  govern  fluids  in  a  state  of 
rest. 

Hydrostatics  in  the  fifteenth  century  were  at  the  lowest  ebb ; 
few  or  none  read  the  works  of  Hero  or  of  Archimedes,  and  in 
their  pages  were  contained  the  little  all  which  ancient  science  had 


IN  SCIENCE   AND   LITERATURE.  157 

bequeathed  to  future  investigators.  Leonardo  may  have  studied 
Archimedes,  and  probably  knew  something  of  Hero  of  Alexan- 
dria as  a  designer  of  fountains  acting  by  compressed  air,  and  one 
who  had  clearly  observed,  though  he  had  not  utilized,  the 
elasticity  of  steam.  Faithful,  however,  to  his  invariable  rule  of 
consulting  nature  rather  than  books,  he  by  his  own  observations 
compiled  a  treatise  on  hydrostatics  far  more  complete  than  any- 
thing he  could  have  inherited  from  classic  authors,  and  of  which 
we  possess  some  fragments  of  great  importance.  Beginning  by 
considering  water  in  itself  and  independently  of  the  vessels  in 
which  it  may  be  contained,  he  recognized  the  attractive  quality 
in  its  particles  by  which  they  tended  to  aggregate  into  spheres, 
and  while  designating  it  by  the  title  of  gravity,  distinguished  it 
clearly  from  the  tendency  to  gravitate  towards  the  earth.  "  The 
gravity  of  liquids,"  he  tells  us,  '*  is  twofold :  that,  namely,  by 
which  the  whole  mass  tends  towards  the  centre  of  the  elements, 
and  that  which,  tending  towards  the  centre  of  the  mass,  creates 
the  sphericity  of  water  ....  but  of  this  latter  quality  I  see  no 
method  by  human  intellect  to  give  a  clear  explanation,  other 
than  by  saying  that  even  as  the  loadstone  attracts  the  iron,  so 
this  virtue  is  a  hidden  property  of  which  infinite  numbers  exist 
in  nature."  Moliere  long  afterwards  drew  a  hearty  laugh  from 
the  keen  wits  at  the  court  of  Louis  XIV.  by  making  a  pompous 
physician  announce  that  opium  produces  sleep  because  it  has  a 
soporific  virtue.  Is  poor  Thomas  Diafoirus  so  far  wrong  ?  or 
when  his  brother  of  the  nineteenth  century  substitutes  the  word 
morphine  for  opium,  has  he  greatly  enlarged  the  sphere  of  our 
knowledge  ?  In  any  case,  none  can  fail  to  admire  the  honesty 
and  modesty  of  Leonardo,  who  while  striving,  like  the  grand  old 
heathen,  to  proceed  **  beyond  the  flaming  ramparts  of  the  world," 
pauses  at  once  when  he  feels  himself  incompetent  to  assume  the 
office  of  guide,  and  candidly  avows  that  the  paths  in  which  he 
meets  impassable  obstacles  are  "  infinite."     The  touching  con- 


isS  LEONARDO   DA    ViNCi 

fession  of  our  own  mighty  Newton  at  once  occurs,  in  which  he 
looks  longingly  from  the  beach  of  the  vast  ocean  of  undiscovered 
truth. 

Not  only  had  Da  Vinci,  without  any  fantastic  hypotheses,  but 
by  simple  observation  of  facts,  arrived  at  the  comprehension  of 
molecular  attraction,  but,  observing  the  tendency  of  water  drops 
to  conjoin  into  larger  spheres,  he  draws  the  conclusion  that  the 
rain-drops  which  reach  the  earth  are  probably  larger  than  those 
which  exist  in  the  higher  regions  of  the  atmosphere,  an  observa- 
tion which,  reiterated  in  the  next  century  and  disregarded,  was, 
however,  ascertained  to  be  a  fact  by  the  invention  of  pluviometers. 
Nor  did  the  minor  atmospheric  influences  by  which  this  result 
might  be  affected  escape  his  keen  powers  of  reasoning. 

The  phenomena  of  capillary  attraction,  the  passage  of  oil 
through  the  wick  of  a  lamp,  of  the  sap  along  the  veins  of  the 
plant,  had  all  been  noted  as  subjects  for  inquiry  ;  an  ingenious 
balance  had  been  constructed  for  the  purpose  of  deciding 
"  whether  all  the  water  which  is  in  a  perpendicular  line  over  a 
hole  made  in  the  bottom  of  a  vessel  weighed  upon  the  hole  or 
not" — in  fact,  whether  it  did  not  also  exercise  lateral  pressure.  He 
perceived  clearly  that  water  became  lighter  and  more  thinned 
{assotigliatd)  by  the  action  of  heat,  and  must  therefore  occupy 
the  higher  level,  and  the  principle  of  equality  of  pressure  upon 
equal  superficies,  which  Pascal  enunciated  a  century  and  a-half 
later,  and  on  which  in  our  own  days  Bramah  based  his  hydraulic 
press,  was  clearly  present  to  the  mind  of  Da  Vinci.  We  pass 
briefly  over  the  numerous  keen  observations  which  he  makes 
respecting  liquids  of  different  densities,  such  as  water  and  quick- 
silver, upon  the  action  of  siphons,  a  subject  which  bewildered 
many  investigators  of  later  years,  and  upon  the  elevation  of 
water  by  centrifugal  force. 

Returning  to  his  previous  remarks  on  aerostatics,  we  find  him 
recognizing  the  great  compressibility  and  dilatation  of  air,  and  ex- 


IN   SCIENCE    AND    LITERATURE.  159 

plaining-  thereby  the  flight  of  birds  :  "  When  force  generates  a 
motion  more  swift  than  the  flight  of  the  resisting  air,  the  air 
becomes  thereby  condensed,  as  do  feathers  pressed  and  squeezed 
by  the  weight  of  a  sleeper,  and  the  object  which  has  driven 
away  the  air  receives  by  its  resistance  the  power  of  rebounding 
like  a  ball  struck  against  a  wall." 

It  is  then  clear  that  his  researches  were  not  confined  to  the 
laws  respecting  liquids ;  those  more  recondite  ones  by  which  the 
gases  are  governed  had  not  escaped  his  glance ;  and  Leonardo,  in 
thus  laying  down  the  bases  of  the  science  of  equilibrium  and 
motion  in  fluids,  may  justly  claim  to  be  a  leader  in  that  band 
which  long  afterwards  counted  among  its  ranks  the  names  of 
Stevinus,  Galileo,  Torricelli,  Pascal,  Boyle,  Bernouilli,  and  which 
is  far  from  being  yet  closed. 

Applying  his  science  to  practical  ends,  Leonardo  at  a  com- 
paratively early  date  formed  a  scheme  for  canals  to  irrigate 
various  portions  of  Tuscany,  and  also  a  method  for  draining  the 
marshes  of  Piombino.  Afterwards,  having  taken  service  under 
Lodovico  del  Moro,  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  canal  of  the 
Martesana,  improved  the  locks,  invented  new  angular  lock-gates 
to  replace  the  old-fashioned  "saracinesche,"and  gave  plans  for  new 
conduits,  accompanied  with  accurate  rules  relative  to  the  measure- 
ment and  distribution  of  their  waters.  It  is  far  beyond  the 
scope  of  the  present  article  to  enter  minutely  into  the  details  of 
these  services,  which  may  be  found  fully  illustrated  in  the 
valuable  work  of  Lombardini  on  "■  The  Origin  and  Progress  of 
Hydraulic  Science  in  the  Milanese  and  other  parts  of  Italy." 
We  will  merely  remark  that  in  the  last  years  of  his  life  we  find 
him  still  at  work,  designing  a  canal  which  should  pass  by 
Romorantin,  but  which  does  not  appear  to  have  ever  been  carried 
out.  In  many  parts  of  the  "  Codice  Atlantico "  are  calcula- 
tions and  notes  on  the  best  method  of  arranging  excavators  so 
as  to  obtain  the  greatest  amount  of  work  in  the  shortest  space 


i6o  LEONARDO    DA     ViNCi 

of  time  ;  the  colniata  system  of  drainage,  analogous  to  the 
polders  of  Holland,  and  the  best  method  of  boring  artesian 
wells  are  also  fully  explained,  showing  clearly  that  the  careful 
details  of  the  contractor  as  well  as  the  bold  schemes  of  the 
engineer  were  to  be  found  united  in  the  brain  of  the  painter  of 
the  Last  Supper. 

Of  undoubted  merit  as  a  mechanician,  in  geometry  at  least 
equal  to  any  of  that  age,  and  as  a  draughtsman  unparalleled,  it 
is  no  way  surprising  to  find  in  Leonardo  all  the  requisites  of  a 
good  architect ;  and  he  did  in  truth,  as  evidence  shows,  construct 
and  complete  many  edifices.  Fortune,  however,  ever  foe  to  his 
reputation,  did  not  fail  to  indulge  her  caprice  in  this  art,  where, 
more  than  in  any  other,  genius  is  at  her  mercy,  and  great  powers 
have  to  wait  for  favourable  occasions.  Many  of  Da  Vinci's 
works  of  which  honourable  record  exists  have  entirely  dis- 
appeared. Mention  has  already  been  made  of  his  wish  to  lift  up 
the  Baptistery  of  Florence  and  plant  it  on  a  basemental  flight  of 
steps  ;  in  many  parts  of  the  ''  Codice  Atlantico  "  exist  plans  drawn 
by  himself  relating  to  the  Castle  of  Milan ;  here  and  there  are 
found  sketches  of  cupolas,  perspectives  of  churches,  internal 
decorations  ;  but  the  "  Codicetto  Trivulziano  "  is  especially  rich  in 
architectural  drawings.  Many  of  these  appear  to  refer  to  the 
lantern  of  Milan  Cathedral,  for  which  the  artist  constructed 
several  models,  as  we  learn  from  official  documents  lately 
published  by  Girolamo  Calvi.  He  built  a  bath  for  the  Duchess 
of  Milan,  for  her  husband  a  noble  range  of  stabling  sufficient  for 
a  hundred  and  twenty-eight  horses,  and  a  mansion  for  the 
Duke's  son-in-law,  the  celebrated  captain,  Sanseverino.  It  is 
probably  to  the  last-mentioned  work  that  many  MS.  notes  and 
plans  in  the  "  Codice  Atlantico"  relate. 

Ever  anxiously  on  the  search  for  useful  knowledge,  we  find 
him  in  his  travels  noting  down  any  novelties  he  met,  whether  in 
architectural  forms  or  mechanical  devices  for  building  purposes  ; 


IN  SCIENCE    AND    LITERATURE.  i6i 

and  in  the  last  days  of  his  life  his  thoughts  were  occupied  with 
the  ideas  of  a  monument  to  Gian  Giacomo  Trivulzio. 

Although  some  of  his  biographers  wish  to  establish  Leonardo  s 
reputation   as  a  professional   harpist,   invited   to  the   court    of 
Lodovico  il  Moro  to  charm  the  ears  of  that  prince,  we  are  not 
inclined  to  this  opinion.      Not  only  do  we  know  that  on  his  visit 
to  Milan  he  was  accompanied  by  an  excellent  player  on  the  lyre, 
— taught,  it  is  true,  by  himself,  one  Antonio  Migliarotti, — but  it 
is  abundantly  clear  that  his  powers  as  engineer,  architect,  painter, 
and  sculptor,  were  those  which  led  to  his  entering  the  service  of 
Lodovico.     In  his  well-known  letter  to  Sforza,  a  composition 
which  all  must  admit  not  to  err  on  the  side  of  reticence,  no 
allusion  is  made  to  his  musical  proficiency,  in  which  art  therefore 
we  may  assume  that  he  did  not  consider  himself  "  equal  to  any 
other  man,  no  matter  whom."     It  is  painful  to  observe  how,  in 
those  troubled  times,  the  ambition  of  the  Regent  and  the  danger 
threatening  from  Naples  gave  fearful  prominence  to  thoughts  of 
war,  and  caused  the  artist  to  place  in  the  second  rank  of  merit 
the  faculties   by  which  hereafter  he   was   to  charm  the  world. 
We  have  alluded  to  what  modern  ideas  are  compelled  to  stigma- 
tize as  the  bad  taste  of  his  self-laudatory  letter  to  Sforza,  and  it 
becomes  therefore  imperative  to  refer  to  an  essay,  published  at 
Turin  in  1841,  in  the  second  part  of  the  **  Treatise  upon  Civil 
and  Military   Architecture,"  by  Francesco  di  Giorgio   Martini. 
In  this  work,  its  author,   Sig"".    Carlo   Promis,   has   with  equal 
learning  and  perspicuity  undertaken  a  detailed  examination  of 
the  promises  contained  in  Leonardo's  famous  letter,   and   has 
satisfactorily  exculpated  its   author   from   the   charge   of  vain- 
glorious boasting. 

Enumerating  the  promises  of  the  letter,  and  comparing  them 
with  the  designs  of  warlike  engines  to  be  found  in  the  'bodice 
Atlantico,"  he  concludes  that  the  actual  inventions  therein  dis- 
closed have  fully  equalled  the  undertakings  of  the  writer.     It  is 

M 


i62  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI 

to  be  regretted  that  a  writer  so  careful  and  so  competent  had  not 
extended  his  investigations  to  the  manuscripts  extant  in  Paris 
and  London,  as  also  to  the  "  Codice  Trivulziano,"  perhaps  in  this 
respect  the  richest  of  all.  Leonardo's  inventions  with  respect  to 
fire-arms  have  been  alluded  to  by  Venturi,  and  were  made  the 
subject  of  special  illustration  by  Captain  Angelucci,  a  writer  of 
our  own  time.  From  his  researches  we  gather  that  Leonardo 
was  among  the  earliest  inventors  of  bombards,  wall-pieces 
{passavolanti\  and  mortars,  and  laid  down  excellent  rules  as  to 
founding  and  boring  them.  Living  on  the  debateable  ground  of 
warfare,  the  period  when  modern  artillery  had  not  yet  wholly 
superseded  the  engines  of  antiquity,  the  catapult,  the  balestra, 
the  ram,  the  cross-bow,  were  objects  of  his  attention,  and  were 
endowed  by  his  skill  with  added  force  and  increased  facilities  of 
action.  Cannon  with  numerous  barrels,  such  as  the  German 
engineers,  with  grim  humour,  denominated  "  Death's  organs,"  and 
such  as  we  have  seen  in  our  own  day  revived  under  the  titles  of 
Catling  and  mitrailleuse,  are  to  be  found  in  the  paper  arsenals 
of  Leonardo,  together  with  some  cannons  with  curved  and  even 
angular  barrels,  which  it  is  difficult  to  believe  have  ever  attained 
to  actual  metallic  existence.  More  practically  useful,  though 
not  till  the  lapse  of  centuries  had  brought  them  into  use,  were 
his  suggestions  as  to  conical  projectiles,  and  his  notes  on  rapidity 
of  trajectory — one  of  which  is  worth  citing,  as  showing  the  deter- 
mination to  grasp  at  truth  amid  the  darkness  prevailing  in  all  minds 
on  this  yet  complicated  subject.  "  The  projectile  {ballotta)  of  a 
bombard  traverses  a  mile  in  five  times  (tempi),  of  which  times  1080 
are  needed  to  complete  an  hour.  Now,  as  5  will  go  216  times 
into  1080,  it  follows  that,  by  keeping  up  this  motion,  we  get  216 
miles  in  the  hour.  And  a  mile  is  300  (probably  an  error  for 
3000)  braccia,  a  braccio  being  the  length  from  a  man's  shoulder  to 
his  hand."  From  this  calculation  it  results  that  cannon-balls  at 
that  period  attained  a  velocity  of  rather  more  than  1 10  metres  in 


IN  SCIENCE    AND    LITERATURE.  163 

a  second.  To  many  these  calculations  may  appear  rude  and 
almost  childish  ;  and  it  may  be  asked  what  purpose  can  be  gained 
by  recording  results  so  unimportant  when  contrasted  with  the 
accuracy  of  modern  investigation.  Yet  surely  those  who  look 
with  reverence  upon  the  telescope  of  Galileo,  still  preserved  in 
the  Museum  of  Florence,  will  not  treat  with  contempt  the  efforts 
of  the  greatest  military  engineer  of  a  far  distant  age. 

More  immediately  interesting  may  be  the  fact,  distinctly  dis- 
coverable from  his  memoranda,  that  he  had  clearly  observed  the 
uselessness  of  increasing  the  charge  of  powder  in  a  gun  without 
at  the  same  time  enlarging  the  size  of  each  grain ;  failing  which 
precaution  much  of  the  powder  would  be  expelled  without  being 
Ignited.      At  the  same  time  he  saw  the  imperative  necessity  of 
large  charges,  and  makes  a  note  that  "  the  greater  the  mass  of 
fire  that  can  be  Ignited  at  one  moment  In  a  bombard,  the  greater 
the  force  with  which  the  ball  will  be  expelled."     All  details  of 
military  engineering,   such  as  walls,  parapets,   bridges,  towers, 
were  familiar  to  him,  and  his  works  Include  a  specially  ingenious 
method  for  rapidly  Inundating  ditches  and  underground  passages, 
as  likewise  for  emptying  them  with  speed  when  needful.      In 
short,  he  devoted  to  the  arts  of  war  all  the  energy  which  distin- 
guished him  in  those  of  peace,  though  It  may  be  fairly  doubted 
whether  his  heart  was  in  his  work.     To  obtain  favour  of  princes 
it  was  imperative  to  offer  such  services  as  they  chose  to  accept ; 
when  their  protection  \^as  once  assured,  we  see  how  gladly  his 
spirit  turned  towards  the  mild  and  beneficent  works  of  peace.    A 
significant  passage  corroborative  of  this  opinion  may  be  quoted 
from  his  "  Treatise  on  Painting,"  In  which,  speaking  of  historical 
paintings,  and  therefore  of  battle-pieces,  he  Instructs  his  pupil 
not  to  omit  foreshortening."      "In  battles,"    says   the   master, 
"  there  occur  of  necessity  infinite  foreshortenlngs  and  crouchlngs 
of  the  actors  In  such  scenes  of  discord,  or  rather  let  us  say  of 
brutal  madness."     Is  it  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  the  un- 


i64  LEONARDO   DA     VINCI 

finished  fresco  of  the  Battle  of  Anghiari  may  have  resulted  not 
from  sloth,  not,  as  some  have  supposed,  from  the  failure  of  the 
intonaco,  not  from  any  fear  of  competition  with  Michel- Angelo, 
but  simply  from  the  repugnance  the  artist  felt  to  depicting  scenes 
of  blood  and  carnage  ? 

Be  this  as  it  may  ;  in  1502  Leonardo  da  Vinci  was  appointed 
chief  military  architect  to  the  terrible  Csesar  Borgia,  Duke  of 
Valentinois.  Now,  if  ever,  was  the  opportunity  to  fulfil  the 
many  promises  made  in  the  letter  to  Sforza,  to  embody  the 
numerous  imaginings  with  which  his  manuscripts  teem.  In 
the  very  next  year  we  find  him  engaged  in  the  arts  of  peace, 
the  only  ones  in  which  his  heart  really  delighted,  and  by  the  ex- 
ercise of  which  he  was  to  enrich  the  world,  and  attain  for  himself 
a  never-dying  glory. 

Devoting  his  genius  thenceforth  to  peaceful  ends,  Leonardo, 
ever  intent  on  diminishing  evils  and  increasing  comforts,  strove 
to  introduce  ameliorations  in  the  humblest  and  most  continually 
recurring  events  of  daily  life.  Relinquishing,  as  did  Galileo  in  a 
later  age,  the  metaphysical  search  after  first  causes  of  phseno- 
mena,  he  was  content  if,  by  careful  observation  of  these  same 
phaenomena,  he  might  effect  some  improvement  in  arts,  trades, 
or  ordinary  domestic  economy.  The  immense  number  of  these 
inventions,  and  in  many  cases  their  trivial  character,  forbid 
anything  like  a  detailed  enumeration  of  them  ;  a  glance  at  a  few 
salient  objects  is  all  that  can  be  afforded,  assuring  our  readers, 
however,  that  those  who  consult  his  vast  treasury  of  drawings 
will  often  recognize  with  surprise  not  unmingled  with  amusement 
some  humble  instrument  of  common  use  as  having  issued  from 
the  fertile  brain  of  Leonardo.  Affable  to  all,  generous  even  to 
the  verge  of  prodigality,  his  temperament  recoiled  from  any 
jealous  concealment  of  the  truths  which  he  discovered ;  the 
**  mystery"  of  an  art  was  to  him  an  unmeaning  term,  or  at  least 
symbolized  a  veil  which  it  was  his  triumph  and  joy  to  rend 


HEAD    OF  A   WARRIOR. 
From  a  drauing  in  the  Collection  o/yohn  Malcolm  of  Poltalloch,  Esq. 


m 


IN  SCIENCE    AND   LITERATURE.  165 

asunder.     In  the  "  Codice  Atlantico"  are  many  sketches  of  a 
proportional  compass  with   moveable  centre,   identical   in  form 
with  that  designed  by  Glusto   Burgi  in  1603,  and  still  used  by 
engineers.     With  this  instrument,  to  which  he  gives  the  title  of 
seste  di proporzio7zalitd,  Leonardo  gives  instruction  how  to  describe 
an  ellipse.     A  lathe  for  turning  ovals  obtained  for  its  inventor 
some  praise  even  from  his  contemporaries,  and  far  more  from 
the  geometers  of  our  own  days.     A  surgical  probe  with  three 
longitudinal  divisions,  capable  of  being  expanded  by  a  screw,  so 
as  to  dilate  gradually  the  aperture  of  a  wound,  gained  honour- 
able distinction  for  a  surgeon  of  the  last  century,  who  was  after- 
wards accused  of  stealing  the  idea  from  the  treasures  of  Pompeii, 
where   it  indubitably  exists ;   Leonardo  had  long  preceded  the 
Frenchman,  and  certainly  was  not  indebted  to  the  old  Greek  or 
Roman.     An  ingenious  hygrometer,  based  on  the  absorption  of 
water  by  cotton  wool  as  contrasted  with  wax,  and  an  universal 
joint,  formed  on  the  same  plan  as  that  afterwards  devised  by 
Jerome    Cardan,   may  be   seen  among   his   designs.      But   his 
attempts,  if  we  can  give  them  no  higher  title,  to  measure  more 
accurately  the  division  of  time,  are  worthy  of  a  somewhat  more 
detailed  notice.     Desirous  as  he  must  have  often  been  to  obtain 
for  scientific  purposes  a  correct  indicator  of  time,  we  are  not 
surprised  at  the  various  fruitless  efforts  made  by  him  to  improve 
the  imperfect  escapement,  hitherto  the  only  one  applied  to  the 
water-clocks  or  sand-glasses  on  which  the  philosophers  of  that 
day  depended.     The  escapement  then  in  use,  through  wanting  the  ^ 
means  to  secure  the  isochronous  regularity  of  its  oscillations,  was 
competent  to  govern  the  early  clocks  so  far  as  to  prevent  their 
running  down  too  swiftly ;   but  nothing  like  astronomic  accuracy 
had  been  attained.     That  Leonardo  had  thought  much  on  this 
subject   his   sketches   give   ample  evidence  :   unfortunately  the 
manuscript  notes  which  are  so  often  valuable  in  explaining  his 
intentions  are  in  this  case  totally  deficient ;  yet  from  the  sketches 


i66  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI 

alone  it  is  fair  to  assert  that  if  the  idea  of  a  pendulum  clock 
were  not  clearly  present  to  his  mind,  the  instrument  he  proposed 
to  construct  would  have  differed  very  slightly  from  it.     That  the 
pendulum  as  a  motive  power  was  not  unknown  to  Leonardo  is 
beyond  doubt,  as  he  proposes  to  employ  a  very  heavy  one  for 
the  purpose  of  keeping  up  a  continuous  motion,  renewing  from 
time  to  time  the  force  which  the  oscillating  weight  communi- 
cates to  the  other  parts  of  the   machine.      In   describing  this 
attempt  he  points  clearly  to  the  analogy  between  his  proposed 
machine  and  the  clockwork  of  the  time,  for  alongside  the  figure  he 
has  written,  "  This  counterpoise  works  above  with  its  rod  in  a 
toothed  wheel,  similarly  to  the   rod  of  a  regulator   {tempo)  for 
clocks  ....  and  never  loses  time."     Further  evidence   might 
be   adduced   to   show    how   closely    Leonardo    approached    to 
Galileo's  great  discovery,  but  it  is  needless  to  pursue  the  subject 
farther.     It  is  not  probable  that  the  conjecture  of  Leonardo  was 
ever  turned  to  actual  use,  nor  will  the  existence  of  high  thoughts 
buried  in  his  disregarded   manuscripts  tend  to  rob  the  starry 
Florentine  of  one  ray  of  glory,  or  invalidate  the  established  fact 
that  Christopher   Huyghens,  in   1657,  first  gave  to  the  world  a 
clock  regulated  by  a  pendulum.    Nor  need  we  strive  to  augment 
our  artist's  glory  by  pointing  to  the  boats  moved  by  wheels  to 
be  found  among  his  sketches ;   the  invention  was  by  no  means 
new,  and  what  improvements  he  might  have  thought  of  when 
delineating  them  are  unknown  to  us.     Little  wonder  is  it  that 
the  engineer  of  the  Martesana  and  other  canals  should  be  found 
continually  altering  and  improving  the  dredging   machines  of 
which  he  had  such  constant  need,   nor  that   the    humble   but 
useful   services  of  the  wheelbarrow,   claimed  by  France  as  an 
invention  of  Blaise  Pascal,  should  have  been  used  by  Da  Vinci 
a  hundred  and  fifty  years  earlier  for  the  transport  of  stones, 
earth,  and  water ;  the  vessel  in  the  last  instance  being  suspended 
by  pullies,  so  as  to  avoid  spilling  the  contents. 


IN   SCIENCE    AND    LITERATURE.  167 

War  being  at  all  times,  but  especially  in  that  age,  a  more  im- 
perious master  than  peace,  it  is  not  surprising  to  find  Da  Vinci 
exercising  his  ingenuity  upon  the  problem  how  to  move  about  un- 
seen below  the  water  ;  but  although  his  diver,  with  glass  eyes  and 
a  tube  reaching  to  the  surface,  bears  a  strong  family  resemblance 
to  his  successor  in  the  present  day,  the  want  of  an  air-pump, 
which  no  one  had  yet  devised,  must  have  offered  insurmountable 
difficulty  to  any  prolonged  efforts  at  submarine  engineering. 
Nor  did  any  useful  results  attend  his  attempts  at  walking  or 
sliding  upon  the  surface  of  the  water  by  the  aid  of  broad  wooden 
discs  like  snow  shoes.  Quitting  for  a  moment  the  battle-field,  he 
finds  time  to  give  us  the  artist's  sketching-stool,  with  three  feet 
folding  in  one ;  a  spring  to  close  doors  ;  a  porphyry  muller  to 
grind  colours,  worked  either  by  hand  or  water ;  a  roasting  jack 
with  descending  weight  and  fan  escapement  (still  most  common 
in  Italian  kitchens),  but  gave  preference  to  one  moved  by  hot 
air;  because,  as  he  notes  on  the  sketch,  "  This  is  the  true  way, 
seeing  that,  according  as  the  fire  be  moderate  or  fierce,  the  roast 
will  turn  slow  or  fast"  Before  leaving  the  kitchen,  he  proceeds 
to  fit  the  chimney  with  a  revolving  cowl,  which,  he  suggests, 
may  be  closed  at  night,  to  prevent  the  entry  of  cold  air.  If 
there  be  those  who  feel  the  dignity  of  the  artist  injured  by  such 
lowly  ministrations  to  daily  comfort,  they  may  be  relieved  by  the 
curious  discovery  made  by  M.  Delecluze  in  the  volume  marked 
B,  which  is  among  those  unjustly  retained  at  Paris  after  the 
restoration  of  the  plunder  of  Buonaparte.  More  than  three 
hundred  years  before  Perkins  showed  the  inhabitants  of  this  city 
the  steam  gun  in  action,  the  idea  had  entered  the  mind  of  Leo- 
nardo da  Vinci.  This  new  class  of  weapon  received,  at  the 
hands  of  its  inventor,  the  sonorous  title  of  Architronito,  or  Lord 
of  Thunder,  a  name  of  which  the  pomposity  and  provinciality 
may  provoke  a  smile,  but  which  was  really  a  concession  on  its 
inventor's  part  to  the  prejudices  of  his  age.     Conscious  with 


i68  .    LEONARDO    DA     VINCI 

how  jealous  an  eye  anything  was  regarded  that  did  not  bear  the 
venerable  stamp  of  antiquity,  this  Tuscan  Teucer  determined  to 
avail  himself  of  the  broad  shield  of  a  Syracusan  Telamon,  and 
announced  his  weapon  as  an  old  but  forgotten  invention  of 
Archimedes.     Here  we  have  his  description  : — 

"  Architronito  is  a  machine  of  fine  copper,  invented  by  Archi- 
medes, and  throws  iron  with  great  noise  and  fury,  and  is  used 
after  this  fashion.  Let  the  third  part  of  the  instrument  be 
placed  in  a  great  quantity  of  ignited  charcoal,  and  when  it  is 
thoroughly  heated,  tighten  the  screw  ....  which  is  on  the  top 

of  the  vase  of  water and  while  tightening  the  screw 

above,  unstop  it  {i,  e.  the  vase)  from  below,  and  all  the  water 
will  descend  into  the  heated  part  of  the  instrument,  and  will 
there  suddenly  be  converted  into  so  much  vapour  as  it  will  seem 
marvellous,  and  yet  more  to  see  the  fury  and  hear  the  noise. 
This  threw  a  ball  which  weighed  a  talent,  six  stadia." 

Were  it  not  absolutely  certain  that  in  none  of  the  remaining 
works  of  Archimedes  can  any  mention  of  the  Architronito  be 
found,  we^  might  be  inclined  to  suppose  that  this  was  not  really 
an  invention  of  Leonardo,  especially  as  he  has  given  what 
painters  term  local  colouring  to  his  fiction,  by  his  use  of  Greek 
weights  and  measures  instead  of  Italian.  But  a  passage  in  the 
*'  Codice  Atlantico  "  informs  us  that  the  author  intended  to  treat 
further  of  his  Architronito  in  a  work  on  practical  hydraulics,  the 
index  or  rather  plan  of  which  he  had  there  noted  down.  In  this 
plan  we  find  a  section  headed  **  Of  firing  a  bombard,  by  water 
in  a  bombard  of  heated  iron  ; "  no  mention  being  made  of 
Archimedes,  nor  of  the  new  title  previously  employed.  Indeed, 
the  title  itself,  properly  examined,  might  have  saved  Sig.  Marco 
Antonio  Costa  the  trouble  of  writing  a  long  essay  to  prove 
Archimedes  the  real  inventor ;  for  the  unwarranted  combination 
of  Greek  and  Latin  in  the  word  architronito  sufficiently  disproves 
its  being  composed  by  a  Greek,  who,  had  he  meant  to  express 


IN  SCIENCE   AND    LITERATURE.  169 

such  an   idea,  would  clearly  have  used  the  compound   archi- 
bronte. 

A  whole  volume  had  been  written  by  Leonardo  upon  mills ; 
several  designs  for  which  are  still  existing,  and  many  more  of 
hydraulic  wheels  both  vertical  and  horizontal,  Archimedean 
screws,  turbines,  and  other  machines  for  raising  water.  Sketches 
of  windlasses,  blocks,  and  cranes  abound  in  his  MSS. ;  machines 
for  wire-drawing,  plate-rolling,  and  file-cutting ;  drills,  planes, 
saws  for  wood  and  stone,  ribbon-looms,  coining-presses,  scissors 
for  cutting  a  pile  on  cloth,  spindles  for  silk  and-  linen,  silk- 
throwers  ;  in  fact,  it  is  difficult  to  cite  any  of  the  mechanical  arts 
which  had  escaped  the  attention  of  the  artist,  and  few  indeed  are 
those  in  which  he  has  not  effected  some  notable  amelioration. 

It  cannot  be  expected  that  a  genius  so  restless,  so  divergent  in 
its  pursuits,  should  never  err ;  and  no  doubt  sometimes  Leonardo 
wastes  precious  time  in  pursuit  of  scientific  chimaeras.  Of 
these,  we  have  already  alluded  to  the  perpetual  motion  as  one 
which  he  himself  soon  rejected  as  fit  only  for  the  lunar  limbo 
of  Astolfo.  Perhaps — for  we  cannot  even  now  speak  with  cer- 
tainty— we  may  dismiss  to  the  same  region  the  numerous 
schemes  for  winged  men,  aerial  chairs,  and  flying  ships,  which 
crowd  the  pages  of  the  "  Codice  Atlantico,"  testifying  to  the  mar- 
vellous fecundity  of  the  designer,  to  his  unwillingness  to  accept 
defeat  at  the  hands  of  Nature ;  but  not  so  practically  useful  as 
the  numerous  humble  implements  of  which  we  have  just  given  a 
very  incomplete  list.  Nor  have  we  cause  to  regret  that  so  keen 
an  intellect  should  have  been  exercised  upon  the  somewhat 
barren  fields  of  air,  remembering  the  remark  of  Bacon,  "  that  if  a 
proposition  be  wholly  rejected,  yet  that  negative  is  more  pregnant 
of  direction  than  an  indefinite ;  as  ashes  are  more  generative 
than  dust."  The  speculations  of  Leonardo  upon  aerostation 
bequeathed  to  us,  moreover,  the  parachute ;  for  that  instrument, 
made   known   by  Veranzio   in   the  next  century,  and  actually 


lyo  LEONARDO   DA     VINCI 

employed  by  Garnerin  in  the  eighteenth,  was  carefully  figured 
in  the  *'  Codice  Atlantico."  Leonardo  had,  we  are  told,  a  great 
love  for  birds ;  and  Vasari  informs  us  that  "  often  when  passing 
by  places  where  birds  were  sold,  having  paid  the  vendor  what 
he  asked,  he  would  restore  them  their  lost  liberty,  and  let  them 
fly  in  the  air."  It  may  be  deemed,  perhaps,  unfair  to  analyze 
the  motive  of  this  act,  and  try  to  determine  how  much  was  due 
to  tenderness  of  heart,  how  much  to  philosophic  observation ; 
but  it  is,  at  all  events,  pleasing  to  receive  from  his  own  evidence 
a  remark  as  to  his  predestined  connection  with  the  feathered 
race  : — 

''As  to  writing  so  detailedly  about  the  kite,  it  seems  that 
it  is  my  destiny ;  for  among  the  earliest  recollections  of  my 
infancy  it  appears  to  me  that  when  I  was  in  the  cradle  a  kite 
came  to  me,  and,  opening  my  mouth  with  his  tail,  struck  me 
several  times  with  it  on  the  inside  of  the  lips."  Encouraged 
therefore  by  this  augury,  Leonardo  proceeded  to  his  allotted  task 
of  striving  to  navigate  the  region  of  his  airy  monitor.  But,  true 
to  his  principles  of  personal  experiment,  he  does  not  give  himself 
to  vain  speculation,  but,  anatomizing  the  wings  and  pectoral 
muscles  of  birds,  endeavours  to  ascertain  whether  from  the 
corresponding  parts  in  the  human  frame  sufficient  force  may 
be  obtained  to  support  the  weight  of  the  body.  To  what  con- 
clusions he  came  we  have  no  means  of  ascertaining ;  as  usual,  the 
records  are  tantalizing  and  fragmentary,  but  even  from  these 
fragments  enough  can  be  recovered  to  rescue  the  practical  me- 
chanician from  the  accusation  of  vague  and  profitless  dreaming. 

We  have  already  referred  to  his  invention  of  the  parachute, 
and  it  may  not  be  deemed  superfluous  to  record  this  fact  in  the 
brief  terms  employed  by  the  author,  whose  ideas  were  too  thickly 
crowded  to  allow  him  to  stuff  them  with  horrid  epithets  and 
bombast  circumstance  : — 

**  If  a  man  have  a  canopy  (padiglione)  with  the  orifices  filled 


IN  SCIENCE    AND    LITERATURE.  171 

up,  twelve  braccia  broad  and  of  the  same  height,  he  may  throw 
himself  from  any  great  height  without  personal  danger.''  To 
this  is  added  a  sketch  showing  a  man  suspended  by  four  cords 
from  the  machine. 

It  was  probably  to  Leonardo's  experiments  on  aerostation 
that  is  due  the  story  told  by  Vasari,  and  repeated  by  other 
biographers,  that  he,  *'  having  made  a  paste  of  some  wax,  used, 
while  he  walked,  to  fashion  most  delicate  animals  filled  with  wind, 
which  by  blowing  into  them  he  caused  to  float  in  the  air ;  but 
when  the  wind  failed  they  fell  to  the  ground."  The  feats  of 
Japanese  jugglers,  so  common  at  the  present  day,  deprive  this 
story  of  that  tinge  of  the  marvellous  which  no  doubt  it  possessed 
in  the  eyes  of  Vasari  and  his  readers,  and  the  ascent  and 
descent  of  these  most  delicate  monsters  were  no  doubt  due  to 
the  temperature  of  the  air  which  they  contained.  All  of  credit 
that  we  can  claim  for  our  hero  is  the  skilful  manipulation  by  the 
ineffable  left  hand  which  could  produce  so  thin  a  pellicle  of  wax. 

The  popular  imagination  is  seldom  satisfied  with  a  quiet  record 
of  truth,  and  ever  delights  in  the  supernatural.  It  is  not  won- 
derful that  the  same  spirit  which  assigned  to  Sertorius  his  fawn, 
to  Gregory  the  Great  and  to  Mahomed — strange  coincidence — 
their  respective  doves,  should  have  conferred  on  Leonardo  the 
dignity  of  a  spectral  lion  to  attend  his  footsteps.  If  this  fable 
be  a  mere  development  of  the  fact  that  he  constructed  an  auto- 
maton lion  which  disgorged  a  shower  of  fleur-de-lis,  it  has,  at 
least,  a  somewhat  respectable  parentage ;  but  it  is  rather  hard  to 
find  the  declared  foe  of  the  Hermetic  school  rated  as  an  alchemist, 
or  as  one  who  on  insufficient  data  proclaimed  new  and  fantastic 
theories.  The  following  passage  shows  how  little  tolerant  he 
was  to  those  who  allowed  themselves  to  be  led  astray  even  by 
plausible  and  misleading  phaenomena.  "  They  are  lying  inter- 
preters of  nature  who  affirm  quicksilver  to  be  the  common  seed 
of  all    metals,    not   remembering  that  nature  varies   the   seed 


172  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI 

according  to  the  diversity  of  objects  which  she  wishes  to  pro- 
duce in  the  world." 

Leonardo  occupied  himself  in  chemical  labours  of  more  imme- 
diate utility — in  the  distillation  of  perfumes,  the  purification  of  oil, 
the  preparation  of  colours  and  varnishes,  of  acids  for  engraving 
on  metal,  in  mixtures  for  fire-works,  and — for  war  at  that  time 
ever  claimed  a  share  of  the  inventor's  powers — in  the  composi- 
tion of  poisonous  vapours  to  be  directed  against  an  enemy. 
Very  many  of  his  receipts  are  to  be  found  in  his  manuscripts 
generally,  and  might  perhaps  repay  the  toil  of  a  careful  investi- 
gator. He  improved  the  chemist's  furnace  and  still,  facilitating 
condensation  by  surrounding  the  condenser  with  a  continually 
renewed  stream  of  cold  water.  In  this  branch  of  physics,  how- 
ever, the  most  interesting  of  his  observations  are  those  relating 
to  flame,  which  may  be  considered  as  the  earliest  steps  in  the 
theory  which  was  completed  by  Lavoisier  at  the  end  of  the 
eighteenth  century. 

His  observations  on  this  subject  are  here  quoted  : — 
"Where  flame  cannot  live,  there  breathing  animals  cannot. 
The  light  {i.  e.  the  candle)  creates  a  vacuum,  and  air  rushes  to 
relieve  this  vacuum.  Elementary  fire  continually  consumes  the 
air  by  which  it  is  partly  nourished,  and  would  find  itself  in  con- 
tact with  a  vacuum  if  the  surrounding  air  did  not  rush  in  to  refill 
it.  Smoke  is  generated  in  the  middle  of  the  flame  of  a  candle. 
Flame  arranges  {dispone)  first  the  matter  by  which  it  is  nourished, 
and  then  nourishes  itself  thereon.  Excessive  wind  destroys 
flame  ;  a  moderate  one  nourishes  it."  By  surrounding  a  burning 
candle  with  a  glass  tube  of  convenient  diameter  and  height, 
Leonardo  observed  the  circulation  of  the  air  within,  and  ob- 
served, "■  Through  this  tube  the  light  has  to  exhale  and  to  feed 
itself ;  the  exhalation  passes  through  the  middle  of  the  tube,  and 
the  nutriment  comes  from  the  sides,  surrounding  the  exhala- 
tions." 


IN  SCIENCE   AND    LITERATURE.  173 

Chemical  knowledge  was  of  course  essential  to  his  labours  in 
metallurgy,  and  the  *'  Codice  Trivulziano  "  is  rich  in  instructions 
upon  the  founder's  art.  Leonardo,  who  in  youth  had  profited 
by  the  lessons  of  Andrea  del  Verrocchio,  an  admirable  artist  in 
metal,  was  for  a  long  time  engaged  in  the  construction  of  cannon ; 
and  no  doubt  benefited  by  his  experience  when,  at  a  later  date, 
he  was  engaged  upon  the  casting  of  his  colossal  equestrian  statue 
of  Francesco  Sforza,  a  work,  alas !  destined  to  remain  incom- 
plete at  his  death.  For  sixteen  years,  at  such  intervals  as  other 
and  pressing  calls  permitted,  had  the  artist- worked  upon  the 
model,  and  we  may  well  imagine  the  joy  with  which  he  was 
looking  forward  to  the  joyful  labour  of  the  casting,  when  the 
fall  of  Lodovico  il  Moro  and  the  invasion  of  the  French  troops 
dashed  his  hopes  to  the  ground.  The  model  remained  in  Milan, 
and  the  general  belief  is,  that  it  was  wilfully  destroyed  by  the 
Gascon  cross-bowmen  of  the  Most  Christian  King,  worthy 
ancestors  of  the  Republican  soldiers,  who,  in  a  later  century, 
used  the  figures  in  the  Last  Supper  as  targets  for  their  bullets. 
The  great  size  of  the  model  may  have  wearied  out  the  powers  of 
mischief  directed  against  it ;  possibly,  as  Govi  has  suggested,  the 
rider  may  have  offered  a  more  tempting  mark  for  the  Gascon 
bolts,  and  the  horse  remained  comparatively  uninjured  :  certain 
it  is  that,  in  the  month  of  September,  Ercole  L  of  Este  wrote  to 
his  representative  resident  in  Milan,  desiring  him  to  request 
from  the  Cardinal  di  Rohan  the  gift  of  "  the  model  of  a  horse 
which  he  recollected  to  have  seen  in  Milan,  and  which  Sig. 
Lodovico  proposed  to  have  had  cast,"  adding  that  "  the  model 
was  perishing  day  by  day,  as  no  care  was  taken  of  it."  Had 
this  request  been  acceded  to,  the  world  might  yet  be  enriched  by 
the  possession  of  this  sculpture,  so  highly  praised  by  contem- 
porary writers.  But  the  ordinary  ill-fate  of  Leonardo  prevailed ; 
the  Cardinal,  ashamed  perhaps  of  the  condition  to  which  neglect 
and  ignorance  had  reduced  the  model,  found  official  reasons  for 


174  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI 

delaying  to  comply  with  the  Duke's  request,  and  no  more  is 
heard  of  Leonardo's  colossus. 

A  passage  in  the  "  Divina  Proporzione"  of  Pacioli,  has  led  to 
the  supposition  that  this  great  work  had  been  not  merely  com- 
plete in  the  model,  but  actually  cast  in  bronze  by  its  great  author, 
the  weight  being  given  as  200,000  lbs. ;  but  a  careful  examina- 
tion of  the  index  to  the  work  of  Fra  Luca,  in  the  edition  of  1509, 
militates  against  this  theory,  the  phrase  clearly  referring  to  its 
estimated  weight  "when  it  shall  be  cast."  Nothing  now  remains 
of  the  sixteen  years'  task  of  Leonardo  except  a  small  red  sketch 
in  the  **  Codice  Atlantico,"  representing  the  horse  inclosed  in  a 
stout  wooden  cage,  being  most  probably  the  appearance  it  bore 
when  exhibited  on  the  summit  of  a  triumphal  arch,  at  the  mar- 
riage festival  of  Bianca  Sforza  and  the  Emperor  Maximilian. 
A  still  smaller  sketch  in  black  chalk,  nearly  obliterated,  shows 
the  horse  unencumbered  by  scaffolding.  Although  the  reader 
may  possibly  think  that  enough  has  been  said  on  the  question  of 
the  casting,  we  cannot  refrain  from  drawing  attention  to  a  semi- 
circular row  of  dots  upon  the  shoulder  and  ribs  of  the  horse  (in 
the  red  sketch),  which  the  careful  artist  informs  us  are  "  all  the 
heads  of  the  large  nails,"  and  which  seem  to  indicate  a  casting, 
perhaps  only  partial,  of  some  of  the  model. 

It  is  satisfactory  when  the  inquirer,  tired  of  speculating  on 
doubtful  phrases,  or  weighing  conflicting  testimonies,  can  record 
one  of  the  few  undisputed  facts  in  the  life  of  this  artist ;  and  no 
one,  so  far  as  we  are  aware,  has  doubted  the  truth  of  Vasari's 
statement,  that  Giovan  Francesco  Rustici  availed  himself  con- 
stantly of  the  aid  of  his  friend  and  teacher,  Leonardo,  in  the 
completion  of  the  three  bronze  statues  still  remaining  above  the 
northern  door  of  the  Florentine  Baptistery.  It  is  probable, 
therefore,  that  in  these  figures  we  possess  evidence  of  Leonardo's 
skill  in  the  technical  branch  of  his  art. 

This  essay  would  be  incomplete  if  some  notice  were  not  taken 


IN   SCIENCE    AND    LITERATURE.  175 

of  the  academy  established  under  the  auspices  of  Lodovico  il 
Moro,  of  which  Leonardo  was  president,  and  for  the  use  of 
which  it  is  probable  that  many  of  his  scientific  and  artistic 
treatises  were  intended.  Nothing  now  remains  recorded  as  to 
the  proceedings  of  this  body,  whose  very  existence  might  have 
passed  from  memory  but  for  the  existence  of  the  six  curiously 
interlaced  labyrinths  engraved  on  copper,  and  bearing  in  their 
centres  the  inscription  "  Achademia  Leonardi  Vi(n)ci,"  con- 
cerning the  authorship  of  which  so  much  question  has  been 
raised.  Certain  it  is  that  these  identical  patterns  were  cut  in 
wood  by  Albrecht  Dlirer,  and  appear  with  his  well-known  mono- 
gram, occupying  the  place  of  the  Italian  inscription.  Into  the 
question  of  priority  it  is  needless  to  enter,  any  more  than  to 
speculate  whether  Durer's  horse  of  the  Knight  in  the  well-known 
engraving  must  necessarily,  because  of  its  similarity  of  attitude, 
be  an  offspring  of  the  horse  of  Sforza.  Far  better  surely  to 
follow  the  advice  of  a  wise  critic  of  our  own  days,  and  believe 
that  there  are  in  nature  fountains  large  and  small,  and  that  it  is 
not  necessary  to  derive  every  streamlet  we  find  in  the  world  from 
a  perforation  in  some  other  man's  tank. 

Did  Leonardo  ever  actually  handle  the  engraver's  burin  ?  As 
usual,  the  matter  is  in  doubt,  and  all  that  can  be  done  is  to 
reconcile  the  silence  of  his  earliest  biographers  with  the  impro- 
bability that  he  who  tried  everything  should  have  left  untried 
an  art  so  likely  to  have  tempted  his  fancy.  If  he  did,  the 
evidence  dwindles,  wnth  even  more  than  the  usual  minuteness, 
to  a  single  engraving — a  female  head — of  which  an  unique  im- 
pression exists  in  the  British  Museum.  The  features  certainly 
bear  much  resemblance  to  those  of  Mona  Lisa ;  and  most  critics 
will  feel  inclined  to  adhere  to  the  opinion  of  the  Marquis 
Girolamo  d' Adda,  as  published  in  the  ''Gazette  des  Beaux- 
Arts,"  vol.  XXV. 

"  All  tends  to  assure  us,"  says  M.  d'  Adda,  "  that  we  have 


176  LEONARDO   DA     VINCI 

before  our  eyes  a  true  production  of  Leonardo,  even  the  evident 
inexperience  in  the  handUng  of  the  burin,  the  marks  of  which 
escape  in  places  beyond  the  Hne  of  tracery.  The  firmness  of 
the  contours,  the  costume,  the  head-dress,  and,  above  all,  the 
forcible  expression  of  the  physiognomy,  betray  the  handiwork  of 
a  master." 

We  have  yet  to  look  upon  Leonardo  in  another  and  perhaps 
less  dignified  character,  that,  namely,  of  deviser  and  manager  of 
court  festivals.  The  masks  and  pageants  of  those  days  were 
far  more  complicated,  gorgeous,  and  picturesque  than  the  festivi- 
ties of  a  century  which  does  not  aspire  to  anything  more  poetic 
than  a  state  ball,  or  at  best  an  Eglinton  tournament ;  and  when 
we  remember  that,  even  in  the  colder  clime  of  England,  Inigo 
Jones  and  Ben  Jonson  combined  their  powers  for  the  amuse- 
ment of  so  unpoetical  a  prince  as  James  L,  it  will  not  seem  undig- 
nified for  Leonardo  to  undertake  works  now  more  properly 
relegated  to  the  scene-painter  and  stage-carpenter.  Such,  at  all 
events,  was  the  custom  of  the  age ;  and  mighty  minds  were  con- 
demned to  waste  their  powers  in  ministering  to  the  ephemeral 
pageantry  of  a  court.  Fra  Luca  Pacioli,  in  his  work,  "  De 
Viribus  Quantitatis,"  has  given  an  exuberant  description  of  the 
numerous  festivities  which,  at  the  court  of  Lodovico,  were 
almost  incessant,  and  which  were  under  the  special  guidance 
of  Da  Vinci. 

The  magnificence  of  these  festivals  in  some  degree  excuses 
the  misdirection  of  genius  compelled  to  labour  on  such  ephe- 
meral objects  ;  and  a  list  of  some  of  the  principal  pageants  over 
which  Leonardo  presided  may  be  laid  before  our  readers.  In 
1489  the  marriage  of  Gian  Galeazzo  with  Isabella  of  Arragon 
required  his  services ;  then  that  of  Sanseverino  with  the 
daughter  of  the  Regent ;  subsequently  that  of  II  Moro,  himself, 
with  Beatrice  d'Este.  Probably  the  triumph  of  Louis  XII.  of 
France,  in  1507  or  1509,  was  ordered  by  him,  and  without 
doubt  that  of  Francis  I.  in  1535. 


IN   SCIENCE   AND   LITERATURE.  177 

It  appears  somewhat  startling  to  find  the  same  hand  which 
directed  the  splendid  pageants  of  II  Moro  so  soon  afterwards 
engaged  in  similar  services  for  Louis  XII.  and  Francis  I. ;  but 
Leonardo,  however  his  memory  may  be  now  reverenced  by  Italy, 
had  not  much  cause  during  his  life  to  be  grateful  to  her  rulers. 
Lodovico  Sforza  left  him  almost  destitute  of  the  necessaries  of 
life ;  Pier  Soderini  went  nigh  to  calling  him  a  cheat  on  the 
question  of  discontinuing  his  painting  in  the  Palazzo  Vecchio  at 
Florence ;  Leo  X.  openly  expressed  a  contemptuous  opinion 
of  his  talents  on  no  better  grounds .  than  that  of  his  cautious 
preparations  for  work,  and  showed  no  wish  to  engage  his 
services  at  Rome.  Louis  XII.,  and  subsequently  Francis  I., 
gave  him  important  commissions,  and  were  liberal  in  their  treat- 
ment of  the  slighted  artist;  Chaumont,  the  king's  lieutenant, 
wrote  to  the  Signory  of  Florence  respecting  him  in  terms  of 
well-merited  praise,  and  the  noble  asylum  offered  by  the  French 
monarch  for  his  honoured  age,  was  such  as  he  could  never  have 
hoped  for  in  his  own  country.  Many  circumstances,  indeed, 
show  that  Leonardo  had  not  experienced  much  of  happiness  in 
Italy.  Occasional  remarks  such  as  the  following  seem  wrung 
from  the  depths  of  a  disappointed  mind  : — "  Do  not  teach, 
and  by  that  alone  you  will  be  valued.  Live  simply,  and  wear 
home-made  clothes." 

Moreover  the  church,  then  a  powerful  agent,  was  not,  and 
never  could  be,  a  friend  of  Leonardo.  Although  the  old  man 
left,  as  we  have  seen,  special  and  minute  directions  in  his  will 
that  all  honour  should  be  paid  to  the  ecclesiastical  arrangements 
of  his  funeral, — much  as  the  dying  Socrates  ordered  the  sacrifice 
of  a  cock  to  i^sculapius — the  remarks  of  Vasari,  even  when 
modified  in  his  second  edition,  are  not  such  as  can  be  applied  to 
a  steady  churchman.  Indeed,  we  have  our  artist's  own  testimony 
that  he  had  incurred  severe  blame  for  two  serious  offences  in 
priestly   eyes — "  working  at  his  art  on  feast-days,  and  investi- 

N 


1/8  LEONARDO   DA    VINCI 

gating  the  works  of  God."  On  these  two  charges  we  are 
content  to  accept  a  verdict  of  guilty.  That  of  immodesty,  also 
preferred  from  the  same  quarter  against  the  painter  of  the  Last 
Supper,  requires,  perhaps,  a  passing  notice.  It  is  not  difficult  to 
comprehend  that,  to  a  certain  class  of  minds,  such  as  begged  for 
draperies  to  be  added  to  the  stern  outlines  of  Michael  Angelo's 
Last  Judgment — such  as  in  our  own  day  shrank  from  contemplat- 
ing Canova's  Genius  of  Death  on  the  Rezzonico  monument, 
mutilated  the  weeping  youths  on  the  tomb  of  the  last  Stuarts, 
and  even  (ristim  teneatis,  ainici)  clad  in  bronze  garments  the 
beautiful  infants  by  Ammanati  in  the  church  of  S.  Pietro  in 
Montorio, — to  these,  no  doubt,  the  bold  and  careful  anatomic 
studies  of  Leonardo  would  appear  but  as  glaring  evidences  of 
impurity.  The  eye  sees,  it  has  been  said,  in  all  things  but  what 
it  brings  the  faculty  of  seeing  ;  and  the  painter's  old  foes,  the 
"  Farisei,"  would,  doubtless,  be  blind  to  the  graceful  and  pure 
sketches  which  are  to  be  found  crowding  his  portfolios,  to  the 
fresh  breezy  bits  of  woodland,  the  simple  peasant  girls,  the  vigo- 
rous and  accurate  heads  of  animals  which,  abounding  everywhere 
and  frequently  trespassing  on  and  overlaying  scaffolds,  bombards 
and  cog-wheels,  are  the  obvious  outpourings  of  a  mind  too  full 
of  the  beauties  and  wonders  of  nature  to  leave  room  for  such 
thoughts  as  defiled  the  breasts  of  his  accusers. 

Looking  back  upon  the  figure  we  have  attempted  to  draw  of 
the  great  painter,  in  his  less  known  and  less  popularly  attractive 
character  of  scientific  and  mechanic  teacher,  we  are  constrained 
to  admit  that  the  outlines  are  in  many  parts  obscured  by  the  mists 
of  time,  and  may  seem  to  have  been  supplied  rather  by  conjecture 
than  by  evidence.  Should  such  prove  to  be  the  case,  it  may  be 
pleaded  in  excuse  that  there  was  probably  never  a  man  concerning 
whose  universal  excellences  testimony  is  so  concordant,  even 
though  actual  and  visible  proof  of  them  is  unusually  deficient. 
One  of  his  latest  biographers,  intent  on  collecting  what  know- 


IN  SCIENCE   AND   LITERATURE,  179 

ledge  might  be  gathered  from  the  archives  of  the  artist's  native 
town,  brings  back  the  latest  proof  of  the  universal  tendency  to 
ascribe  practical  improvements  to  the  all-knowing  Leonardo,  in 
the  fact  that  the  peasants  of  Vinci  stoutly  maintain  a  peculiar 
construction  of  the  terrace  walls  by  which  the  earth  on  the  hill- 
sides is  supported  to  have  been  devised  by  their  great  townsman. 

Much  of  this  feeling  is  doubtless  based  upon  uncertain  foun- 
dations. Solon,  Lycurgus,  Numa,  even  our  own  Alfred,  are  not 
wholly  historic  personages,  and  the  catalogue  of  their  good  deeds 
represents  in  part  the  tendency  of  a  grateful  people  to  ascribe 
the  blessings  they  have  received  to  the  beneficence  of  some 
traditional  leader  of  men.  Such  widely-spread  beliefs  are  en- 
titled to  respect,  and  command  credence  even  when  unsupported 
by  absolutely  certain  proof.  Even  documentary  evidence  is  often 
fallacious ;  and  it  may  be  that  Signor  Gilberto  Govi,  to  whose 
enthusiastic  researches  we  have  been  largely  indebted,  has,  in 
his  treatise  "  II  Genio  di  Leonardo,"  pushed  conclusions 
somewhat  farther  than  the  citations  from  his  hero's  works 
wholly  warrant.  We  conscientiously  can  assert  that  he  has 
not  advanced  a  single  proposition  without  apparently  good 
grounds,  and  in  most  instances  certain  proof  is  unattain- 
able. These  Sibylline  leaves  have  been  the  sport  of  more  than 
common  tempests,  their  juxtaposition  requires  no  ordinary  skill, 
and  the  task  of  systematizing  the  enormous  mass  of  his  papers 
scattered  throughout  the  various  countries  of  Europe,  never  has 
been,  and  perhaps  never  will  be  completed.  The  scanty  crop 
hitherto  reaped  from  so  ample  a  field  results,  no  doubt,  from  the 
unfortunate  habit  of  delay,  which  appears  everywhere  as  the 
shadow  accompanying  the  brilliant  forms  which  his  energy  created, 
and  which  left  his  intended  classification  of  his  MSS.  unaccom- 
plished, "  till  lo !  the  little  touch,  and  youth  was  gone." 

A  few — far  too  few— mighty  works  still  surviving  while 
many  are  known  to  have  perished,  a  bewildering  mass  of  plans, 


iBo  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI. 

sketches,  maps,  and  manuscript  notes,  testifying  to  the  all-em- 
bracing, over-discursive  intellect  of  their  author;  such  is  the 
monument  of  Leonardo's  life.  After  all,  truth  surpasses  fiction  ; 
and  all  the  array  of  qualities,  to  which  Juvenal  in  bitter  mockery 
represents  his  hungry  Greek  as  laying  claim, 

"  Grammaticus,  rhetor,  geometres,  pictor,  aliptes, 
Augur,  schoenobates,  medicus,  magus  :  omnia  novit," — 

can,  with  more  than  common  accuracy,  be  maintained  as  be- 
longing, in  simple  truth,  to  Leonardo  da  Vinci. 

C.  C.  B. 


APPENDIX. 

THE  DEATH-BED  OF  LEONARDO. 

THE  TOMB  OF  LEONARDO. 

THE  MANUSCRIPTS  OF  LEONARDO. 

LETTERS    OF   LEONARDO.      In  the  original  Italian, 

THE  TESTAMENT   OF   LEONARDO.     In  Italian. 

CHRONOLOGY   OF  THE   LIFE  OF   LEONARDO. 

GENEALOGICAL  TABLE  OF  THE   FAMILY  OF  DA  VINCL 


THE  DEATH-BED  OF  LEONARDO. 

N     his    "  Histoire    de     Leonard    de     Vinci,"     M. 
Houssaye  has  given  the  following  account  of  the 
great  artist's   death-bed,   in  order   to   prove   that 
Vasari's  account  of  his  dying  in  the  arms  of  the 
king  may  be  credited  without  doubt. 

Leonardo  da  Vinci  died  on  the  2nd  of  May,  15 19,  at  his 
country  house  at  Clos  Luce,  nine  days  after  making  his  will.  It 
is  not  known  whether  the  epitaph  quoted  by  Vasari  was  written 
by  a  Frenchman  or  an  Italian,  or  indeed  if  the  composition  be 
Latin  of  the  sixteenth  century.  The  greater  part  of  the  epitaphs 
of  that  time,  if  not  all,  were  written  in  French.  It  may  be  fairly 
doubted  whether  the  epitaph  in  question  were  ever  inscribed 
either  in  the  church  or  in  the  cloister  of  St.  Florentin. 

Leonardus  Vincius  !  Quid  plura  ?  Divinum  ingenium 

DiVINA    MAN  us 

Emori  in  sinu  regio  meruere. 
Virtus  et  Fortuna  hoc  monumentum  contingere  graviss. 

Impensis  curaverunt. 

Et  gentem  pt  patriam  noscis  :  tibi  gloria  et  ingens 

NOTA    EST  ;    HAG    TEGITUR   NAM    LeONARDUS    HUMO. 
PeRSPICUAS    PICTURAE    UMBRAS,    OLEOQUE    COLORES 

Illius   ante  alios  DOCTA  MANUS   POSUIT. 
Imprimere  ille  hominum,  divum  quoque  corpora  in  aere, 

Et  pictis  animam  fingere  novit  equis. 


i84  THE   DEATH-BED    OF   LEONARDO. 

Leonardo  da  Vinci!  What  more  cart  be  said?  His  divine 
genius,  his  divine  hand,  deserved  to  die  in  the  arms  of  a  king. 

Virtue  and  fortune  have  united  their  resources  to  erxct  this 
monument  to  him  at  great  expense. 

Thou  knowest  both  his  family  and  country  ;  his  immense  glory 
also  is  well  known  to  thee:  for  with  this  earth  is  Leonardo  covered. 

His  skilled  hand,  better  than  others,  represented  in  oil  the  colours 
and  clear  shades  of  painting.  In  bronze^  he  knew  how  to  mould 
the  bodies  of  men  and  of  gods ;  and  to  give  life  to  pictures  of  horses. 

Melzi,  partly  through  sorrow  and  partly  through  anxiety  to 
fulfil  the  last  wishes  of  his  patron  concerning  the  funeral,  which 
was  not  to  take  place  until  four  days  after  his  death,  deferred  for 
nearly  a  month  writing  to  the  brothers  of  Leonardo ;  he  was  left 
executor  to  the  will,  and  without  doubt  found  a  difficulty  in 
settling  between  Salai  and  Villanis,  who,  as  we  are  aware,  carried 
into  Italy  a  large  part  of  the  drawings  and  sketches  of  their 
master.  Besides,  Melzi  would  do  nothing  without  the  permission 
of  Francis  the  First.  Historians  who,  like  Stendhal,  have  spoken 
of  his  journey  to  Saint-Germain,  should  have  remembered  that 
his  object  was  not  to  communicate  the  death  of  Leonardo,  since 
the  king  was  present  when  he  breathed  his  last,  but  only  to 
show  him  Leonardo's  will,  and  to  receive  his  orders  concerning 
the  unfinished  works  of  the  Painter  to  the  King. 

Here  we  have  the  letter  of  Melzi  to  the  brothers  of  Leonardo 
da  Vinci : — 

Amboise,  the  first  day  of  June  1519. 

"  To  the  Lord  Julian  and  other  honourable  brothers  of  Leonardo. 

"  I  believe  you  are  aware  of  the  death  of  Master  Leonardo  your 
brother,  who  had  always  for  me  the  tenderness  of  the  kindest 

*  We  must  crave  M.  Houssaye's  pardon  for  a  somewhat  different  rendering  of 
the  epitaph,  but  neither  construction  nor  prosody  will  allow  aere  to  be  derived 
from  aer.  "  Divum  corpora  in  aere "  must  not  be  translated  as  "  les  dieux, 
habitans  de  Tair."     Aere  is  clearly  the  ablative  of  aes. 


THE    DEATH-BED    OF  LEONARDO.  185 

father.  It  would  be  impossible  for  me  to  express  the  sorrow 
which  this  wretched  event  has  caused  me  ;  all  that  I  can  tell  you 
is  that  as  long  as  my  body  contains  a  spark  of  life,  so  long  shall 
I  suffer  a  killing  grief,  as  I  ought  to  do,  for  Leonardo  never  let 
a  single  day  pass  without  giving  me  some  proof  of  his  great 
affection.  So  rare  a  man — for  nature  can  never  produce  another 
such — must  be  universally  regretted.  May  it  please  Almighty 
God  to  allow  him  an  eternal  rest.  He  died  on  the  2nd  of  May, 
well  prepared  to  receive  the  sacraments  of  the  Church. 

"  Leonardo  had  received  a  letter  from  the  Most  Christian  King, 
permitting  him  to  make  a  will,  and  to  leave  his  worldly  goods  to 
whomsoever  he  wished,  exempto  quod  hcEvedes  supplicantis  sint 
regfiicolcB :  which  thing  he  would  not  have  been  able  to  do  with- 
out this  letter,  having  received  it  from  the  bounty  of  Francis 
the  First.  All  his  wealth  which  he  possessed  in  France  would 
have  been  lost  to  him,  for  such  is  the  custom  of  this  country. 
Master  Leonardo  thus  made  his  will,  which  I  would  have  sent 
to  you  had  I  been  able  to  entrust  it  to  a  safe  person.  I  am 
expecting  one  of  my  uncles  who  is  coming  to  see  me,  and  who 
will  return  hence  to  Milan  :  I  will  place  it  in  his  hands,  and  in 
this  way  it  will  be  faithfully  remitted  to  you.  Up  to  this  time  I 
have  found  no  means  of  forwarding  it  to  you. 

"  Here  is  all  that  is  contained  in  the  will  concerning  you  : 

"  *  Master  Leonardo  possesses  at  Santa  Maria  Novella,  in  the 
hands  of  the  chamberlain,  in  bills,  four  hundred  scudi,  at  five  per 
cent.,  and  that  for  six  years  completed  next  first  of  October ; 
he  also  possesses  a  property  at  Fiesole  which  he  divides  in 
equal  portions  among  his  brothers.'  His  will  does  not  contain 
any  other  disposition  concerning  you. 

*'  I  will  say  no  more  except  that  I  offer  you  all  that  I  am  worth 
and  able  to  give  :  you  will  always  find  me  ready  and  willing  to 
second  your  wishes.  I  recommend  myself  to  you  always.  Send 
me  an  answer  by  the  Gondi  as  your  brother. 

"  Francesco  Melzi." 


i86  THE    DEATH-BED    OF  LEONARDO. 

Francis  I.  no  doubt  detained  Melzi,  for  he  does  not  speak  of 
his  own  return  into  Italy,  where  Vasari  afterwards  found  him, 
an  old  white-haired  man. 

History  does  not  concern  itself  much  with  the  life  of  Villanis. 
According  to  Lanzi,  Salai  had  profited  from  the  lessons  and 
sketches  of  his  master.  On  his  return  into  Italy  he  sold  many 
pictures  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  finishing  his  unfinished  works, 
copying  some  of  the  heads  with  the  Master's  secret,  but  lacking 
that  expression  of  soul  which  shines  out  in  all  the  works  of  the 
great  painter.^ 

Some  historians  contend  that  Leonardo  da  Vinci  died  at 
Fontainebleau,  whither  the  court  seldom  went  but  on  hunting 
days.  It  may  be  that  Leonardo  never  even  saw  Fontainebleau, 
for  he  makes  no  mention  of  it  in  his  manuscripts  :  it  is  certain 
that  there  are  no  traces  of  him  left  at  Fontainebleau,  either  in 
works  of  art  or  in  the  archives  of  city  or  castle. 

Louis  XI.  inhabited  his  palace,  ornamented  with  gibbets  and 
iron  cages,  at  Plessis-les-Tours;  Charles  VIII.  cared  for  nothing 
but  his  chateau  at  Amboise,  of  which  he  had  made  a  museum  ; 
and  Louis  XII.,  during  his  times  of  peace,  would  only  live  on 
the  borders  of  the  Loire. 

Those  who  believe  that  Leonardo  da  Vinci  went  to  Fon- 
tainebleau and  died  there  might  have  known  that  at  that  time 
Fontainebleau  was  nothing  but  a  hunting  palace,  Francis  not 

^  "  With  regard  to  filial  affection,  Salai  was  the  precursor  of  Melzi ;  he  followed 
his  master  to  Florence,  after  the  downfall  of  Lodovico  Sforza ;  from  thence  to  Rome 
after  the  expulsion  of  the  French  from  Lombardy,  and  finally  to  France.  He 
was  especially  entrusted  with  the  direction  of  his  domestic  affairs,  which  explains 
the  reason  of  his  being  called  the  pupil  and  servant  of  Leonardo,  a  phrase  which 
should  not  be  taken  'in  too  literal  a  sense,  as  though  his  duties  towards  him  had 
been  merely  those  of  a  hireling.  The  features  and  expression  of  Salai  had  also  a 
delicacy  which  might  suggest  a  type  of  angelic  beauty,  and  it  is  sometimes  in 
that  character  that  he  appears  in  the  sacred  pictures  of  his  master." — Rio. 


THE    DEA  TH-BED    OF  LEONARDO.  187 

having  yet  had  the  idea  of  converting  it  into  a  gallery  of  fine 
art.  It  was  not  until  after  the  death  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci  that 
Andrea  del  Sarto  was  summoned — not  for  the  castle,  for  that 
was  not  rebuilt  until  twenty  years  after — but  for  the  chapel  of 
Saint  Saturnin.  Here  is  an  extract  from  a  letter  of  the  king, 
dated  December,  1529  : — 

"  To  add  to,  enlarge  and  amplify  the  building  we  are  at  pre- 
sent causing  to  be  constructed  and  erected  in  our  castle  and 
residence  of  Fontainebleau,  in  the  forest  of  Biere,  and  to  em- 
bellish and  decorate  it  with  ground,  garden,  and  such  necessary 
enclosures  as  belong  to  it,  Be  it  known  that  we  have  intention 
and  are  determined  hereafter  to  make  it  for  the  most  part  our 
residence,  both  for  the  pleasure  we  take  in  the  said  place,  and 
also  for  the  sports  in  the  chase  of  red  and  black  game  which 
live  in  the  forest  of  Biere  and  its  environs  :  therefore  we  have 
arranged  to  take  and  recover  from  our  dear  and  well-beloved 
priests  and  friars  of  the  order  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  at  present 
living  in  the  said  place  of  Fontainebleau,  the  half  of  the  place 
where  at  present  is  situated  the  great  gallery,  leading  from  the 
said  castle  into  their  church  and  dwellings  in  the  abbey,  their 
garden  and  large  enclosure  of  fields,  the  place  where  at  present 
our  stables  stand,  together  with  their  pools  and  fish-ponds,  the 
house  of  the  chaplain  which  was  once  in  the  said  castle,  and 
seventeen  houses  of  inhabitants  in  the  said  place  which  are  con- 
tiguous to  and  adjoining  our  said  castle." 

In  1528,  as  an  historian  has  very  justly  remarked,  space  was 
needful  for  the  plan  of  Francis  I.,  but  in  1530  artists  were  want- 
ing to  fill  the  space.  It  was  only  eleven  years  after  the  death  of 
Leonardo  da  Vinci  that  "  II  Rosso  "  led  into  France  a  colony 
of  painters  and  sculptors.  Among  the  painters  we  may  remark 
a  certain  Leonardi,  a  Fleming,  who  had  studied  in  Italy:  and 
it  is  highly  probable  that  many  writers  have  confounded  the 
Flemish  Leonardi  with  Leonardo  da  Vinci. 


i88  THE   DEATH-BED    OF  LEONARDO. 

Moreover,  it  was  not  likely  that  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  who  had 
made  his  will  at  Amboise  nine  days  before  his  death,  should 
have  travelled  in  a  dying  state  from  Amboise  to  Fontainebleau. 
It  was  not  he  who  went  to  the  king,  it  was  the  king  who  came 
to  him. 

All  the  writers,  even  M.  Charles  Blanc,  in  his  fine  essay  on 
the  painter  of  the  "  Last  Supper,"  are  in  error  on  a  question  of 
date,  for  they  have  all  imagined  that  the  will  was  made  in  1 5 1 8, 
and  that  Leonardo  did  not  die  until  1 5 1 9 ;  but  it  should  be  re- 
membered that  in  the  time  of  Francis  L  the  year  began  at 
Easter,  and  not  at  the  Feast  of  the  Circumcision.  Now  the 
will  of  Leonardo  was  dated  the  22nd  of  April,  15 18,  before 
Easter,  and  death  claimed  him  on  the  2nd  of  May,  15 19,  after 
Easter,  so  that  these  two  dates  are  only  separated  by  a  distance 
of  nine  days. 

Among  those  writers  who  affirm  that  Leonardo  died  at  Fon- 
tainebleau, M.  Vatout,^  the  historian  of  the  royal  residences, 
stands  out  prominendy.  The  strongest  argument  the  intelligent 
chronicler  can  bring  forward  is  that  the  registers  of  burial  at 
Amboise  do  not  contain  the   name  of   Leonardo  da  Vinci  in 


^  "The  love  of  the  arts  which  Francis  I.  had  brought  back  from  Italy  was 
much  more  agreeable  to  the  French  nation  than  religious  bickerings,  and  they 
hailed  with  delight  the  prospect  of  transforming  the  old  manor  house  of  Fontaine- 
bleau into  a  royal  museum  of  arts,  where  Italian  painters  displayed  to  their 
astonished  eyes  the  marvels  of  their  poetic  taste.  Of  this  number  Leonardo  da 
Vinci  made  one,  a  point  on  which  we  are  certain,  as  there  is  in  the  city  of  Amboise 
a  little  country  house  still  shown  to  visitors,  and  called  the  '  Chateau  de  Cloux.' 
Millin,  in  his  'Voyages  du  Midi,'  considers  that  it  was  there  that  this  great 
painter  died,  and  not  at  Fontainebleau  in  the  arms  of  the  king ;  he  adds  that  it 
was  Melzi  who  carried  the  news  to  Francis  I.,  then  staying  at  Saint-Germain-en- 
Laye.  We,  who  in  our  book  on  Fontainebleau  have  adopted  the  contrary  opinion 
according  to  the  belief  of  Le  P^re  Dan  and  Felibien,  cannot  help  observing  that 
had  Leonardo  died  at  Amboise,  there  would  have  been,  in  default  of  a  tablet  in 
the  church  of  St.  Florentin,  at  least  his  name  inscribed  on  the  burial  register  of 
the  church." — Vatout. 


THE   DEATH-BED    OF  LEONARDO.  189 

May,  1 5 19.  M.  Vatout,  who  has  hunted  at  Amboise,  never  gave 
himself  the  trouble  to  devote  an  hour  or  two  to  its  archives/ 
or  he  might  have  assured  himself  that  as  the  registers  of  burials 
do  not  begin  until  1532,  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  find 
there  the  name  of  Leonardo. 

Down  to  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century  Leonardo  da 
Vinci  was  always  believed  to  have  died  in  the  arms  of  Francis  L, 
some  say  at  Fontainebleau,  others  at  Amboise  ;  but  there  is  no 
reason  for  doubting  that  it  was  at  the  latter  place.  It  must  be, 
however,  interesting  to  determine  whether  the  oft-told  tale, 
equally  glorious  to  the  monarch  and  the  artist,  is  merely  a  poetic 
legend  or  an  historic  fact. 

Without  speaking  of  the  author  of  the  epitaph  to  be  found  at 
page  183,  let  us  pass  in  review  the  various  authorities,  beginning 
with  Vasari,  whose  version  of  the  story  is  as  follows  : — 

"  As  he  was  an  aged  man,  he  remained  sick  for  many  months. 
Feeling  his  end  to  be  near,  he  gave  his  thoughts  entirely  to  the 
truths  of  our  good  and  Holy  Catholic  religion.  Full  of  sorrow 
for  his  sins,  he  confessed  himself  with  humility,  and  preparing 
to  receive  the  holy  sacrament  with  devotion,  he  arose  from  his 
bed ;  he  was  unable  to  stand,  but  his  servants  and  friends 
supported  him.  The  king,  who  often  visited  him  as  a  friend, 
arrived  just  then.  Leonardo,  full  of  respect  for  the  prince,  then 
placed  himself  on  his  bed,  and  giving  him  the  story  of  his 
illness,  asked  pardon  of  God  and  man  for  not  having  done  all 
that  he  might  have  done  for  art. 


*  I  have  searched  through  the  archives  of  Amboise.  The  name  of  Leonardo  is 
not  to  be  found  there  at  all ;  but  this  unspoken  denial  proves  nothing  :  Leonardo 
lived  five  years  at  Amboise,  and  no  more  is  said  of  his  life  than  of  his  death.  The 
archives  of  the  castle  have  all  been  dispersed  in  different  directions,  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  registers  of  baptisms,  marriages,  and  burials,  which  unfortunately 
date  only  from  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century.^ 


I90  THE    DEATH-BED    OF   LEONARDO. 

"  Suddenly  he  was  seized  with  a  paroxysm  of  pain,  a  forerunner 
of  his  rapidly  approaching  end.  The  king  rose  and  held  his 
head  to  alleviate  his  suffering ;  but  as  though  this  divine  artist 
felt  he  could  hope  no  greater  honour  on  this  earth,  he  expired  in 
the  arms  of  the  king." 

From  whom  could  Vasari  have  heard  of  this  sad  and  touching 
scene  if  not  from  Melzi,  who  had  not  left  his  friend  for  a  moment, 
and  who  no  doubt  kept  the  memory  of  the  master's  last  hour 
all  his  life  ? 

Although  critics,  with  their  usual  superficial  observations,  have 
scoffed  at  Vasari's  version,  comparing  it  to  the  moral  at  the  end 
of  a  fable,  they  might  yet  have  known,  by  reading  Vasari's 
works,  that  he  was  well  acquainted  with  Melzi  after  the  latter's 
return  from  France.  Vasari  himself  says  so  in  an  essay  on 
Leonardo  : — 

"  The  greater  part  of  the  anatomical  drawings  in  the  port- 
folios of  Leonardo  da  Vinci  belong  to  Messer  Francesco  da 
Melzo,  a  Milanese  gentleman,  a  handsome  and  agreeable  old 
man  {bello  e  gefitil  vecchio)^  who  in  Leonardo's  time  was  a 
beautiful  and  gracious  lad." 

But  why,  we  think  we  hear  these  sceptics  say,  did  Melzi  not 
say  a  word  on  this  oft-contradicted  subject  in  his  celebrated 
letter  to  the  brothers  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci  ?  Is  not  that  letter 
a  document  which  should  over-rule  all,  even  the  last  will  and 
testament  ?  We  answer  that  Melzi  in  his  letter  does  not  inform 
the  brothers  of  Leonardo  of  the  death  of  his  illustrious  master  : 
*'  I  believe,"  says  he,  "  you  are  informed  of  the  death  of  Maestro 
Leonardo." 

And  when,  later  on,  Melzi  speaks  of  ''  this  rare  man  universally 
regretted,"  he  does  not  consider  that  the  regrets  were  confined 
to  Amboise  or  even  to  Paris ;  he  believes  that  the  intelligence 
of  this  death,  then  unexpected,  had  penetrated  as  far  as  Milan, 
Florence  and  Rome.     It  is  not  known  whether  the  news  of  the 


THE   DEATH-BED    OF  LEONARDO.  191 

death  was  not  first  intimated  to  the  brothers  of  Leonardo  by 
Villanis,  Salai',  or  even  by  the  hand  of  Francis  I.  himself. 

There  are  some,  who,  considering  the  legend  too  poetic  and 
too  pompous,  affirm  that,  had  Leonardo  died  in  the  arms  of 
Francis  L,  Melzi  .would  not  have  omitted  to  say  so,  as  he  does 
not  omit  to  mention  the  date  and  the  state  of  mind  of  his 
illustrious  master.  It  is  possible  that  Melzi  did  not  wish  to 
speak  but  of  the  King  of  kings  :  "Leonardo  departed  this  present 
life  on  the  second  of  May,  well  prepared  to  receive  the  sacra- 
ments of  the  church." 

Melzi  perhaps  did  not  wish  to  intermingle  worldly  things  with 
spiritual  ones.  But  in  his  conversations  with  Vasari,  it  was  he, 
there  is  no  doubt  about  it,  who  reported  the  last  moments  of  his 
illustrious  master.  The  well-known  epitaph  attests  the  truth 
of  the  story  :  "His  divine  genius,  his  divine  hand,  deserved  to 
die  in  the  arms  of  a  king." 

In  the  time  of  Poussin,  M.  de  Chambray,  the  French 
translator  of  the  "Trattato  della  Pittura"  of  Leonardo,  relates 
very  much  like  Vasari  the  death  of  the  painter  of  the  "  Last 
Supper  :" — 

"  He  was  accommodated,  by  the  king's  command,  in  the  palace 
of  Cloux  at  Amboise.  From  15 16  until  the  year  1519  history 
does  not  mention  any  of  his  works  in  painting.  The  court  at 
that  time  resided  frequently  at  Amboise,  and  the  king  deigned 
to  visit  him  several  times.  At  last,  one  day  when  the  prince 
was  with  him,  Leonardo,  weakened  by  the  sufferings  of  a  long 
illness,  tried  to  gather  together  his  remaining  strength  to  sit  up 
in  his  bed,  and  bending  forward  to  express  his  gratitude  to  the 
king,  he  suddenly  lost  the  power  of  speech  and  expired  in  the 
arms  of  Francis  I.,  who  was  sustaining  him.  Such  was  the 
glorious  ending  of  all  that  was  perishable  in  this  great  man. 
The  last  sigh  of  the  creator  of  fine  art  in  Italy  was  gathered  up 
into  a  royal  breast.     The  sorrow  felt  by  the  king  shed  a  halo 


192  THE   DEATH-BED    OF  LEONARDO. 

round  the  funeral  obsequies,  and  presaged,  so  to  say,  the  apo- 
theosis of  Leonardo  da  VIncI." 

Felibien,  who  was  able  to  write  on  the  subject  when  it  was 
still  recent,  and  De  Piles,  who  possessed  the  most  precious 
documents  concerning  French  art,  have  both  recalled  the  scene 
which  Vasari  described  with  so  much  accuracy.  Here  Is  the 
version  of  Felibien  : — 

"  The  esteem  in  which  the  king  held  this  wise  man  was  seen 
by  the  welcome  which  he  gave  him  on  his  arrival  and  by  the 
kindnesses  Leonardo  acknowledges  to  have  received  from  the 
monarch  during  the  short  time  of  which  he  was  able  to  write. 
I  believe  you  have  heard  that  the  king  having  been  to  visit  him 
during  his  illness,  he  wished  to  half  raise  himself  in  his  bed,  and 
that,  desiring  to  express  to  the  king  his  deep  feeling  of  the 
honour  His  Majesty  did  him,  he  failed  in  his  speech  and  expired 
in  the  arms  of  the  king." 

In  Germany  the  story  is  alternately  cavilled  at  and  supported. 
Gallenberg  does  not  believe  in  It,  but  Schlegel  has  no  doubt  of 
its  truth  : — 

"  Quickly,  as  though  hastening  to  a  father,  the  king  flies  to 
the  sick  man's  chamber,  and  the  failing  eye  of  Leonardo  sees 
him  come.  He  bends  forward  to  meet  him,  he  wishes  to  show 
honour  to  his  young  friend,  whose  arms,  whose  hands  enclose 
him  in  an  affectionate  embrace.  His  face,  already  as  pale  as 
that  of  a  corpse,  attempts  a  smile,  the  welcome  expires  on  his 
lips,  and  his  breathing  dies  away.  The  king  long  waits  in 
silence,  uncertain  whether  he  will  not  wake." 

It  is  true  that  in  Italy,  Lomazzo  does  not  speak  of  this,  no 
more  does  Carlo  Amorettl,^  but  both  look  upon  the  letter  of 

^  Ludovico  Dolce,  in  his  "  Dialogo  della  Pittura,"  says :  "  Leonardo  Vinci, 
a  great  painter,  was  largely  rewarded  and  infinitely  honoured  by  Philip,  Duke  of 
Milan,  and  by  the  most  liberal  Francis,  King  of  France,  in  the  arms  of  whom  he 
died,  aged  many  years." 


THE    DEATH-BED    OF  LEONARDO.  193 

Melzi  as  the  authentic  record  of  the  death  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci. 
Stendhal,  on  the  contrary,  took  Lomazzo  as  his  guide,  who 
affirmed  that  the  king  was  not  present,  for  he  (Stendhal)  tells 
us,  "When  Melzi  arrived  at  Saint-Germain-en-Laye  to  announce 
the  death  of  Leonardo  to  Francis  L  the  king  shed  tears  to  the 
memory  of  this  great  painter." 

In  the  archives  of  French  history  there  is  not  one  page  to 
confirm  the  veracity  of  Vasari's  story ;  but  then,  alas  !  many 
pages  are  wanting  in  French  history  even  in  the  sixteenth 
century.  The  registers  of  the  *'  Tresor  des  Chartes"  of  the 
reign  of  Francis  L  are  not  to  be  found  until  after  the  year 
162 1,  nor  are  the  minutes  of  the  Privy  Council  nor  of  the  State 
Council.  There  are  only  the  account  of  the  expenses,  which  are 
barely  one  item  per  month. 

According  to  Venturi  the  king  was  at  Saint-Germain  on  the 
1st  of  May,  and  consequently  could  not  have  been  able  to 
visit  the  dying  Leonardo  at  Amboise  the  following  day.  And 
the  argument  Venturi  brings  forward  is  the  fact  of  an  Order  in 
Council  having  been  given  that  day  at  Saint-Germain.  But  this 
proves  nothing,  for  the  order  might  have  been  given  according 
to  custom  by  the  council  during  the  absence  of  the  king,  and 
signed  by  the  secretary  of  state.  M.  Aime  Champollion  has 
well  proved  the  emptiness  of  this  tale,  which  has  been  so  often 
brought  forward  at  the  present  day. 

The  chancellor  dated  the  Orders  in  Council  from  the  place 
where  he  was  staying,  and  sealed  them  with  the  great  seal,  a  thing 
from  which  he  was  never  separated,  on  the  day  when  he  affixed 
it  to  acts  of  sovereign  authority.  Consequently  there  was  a 
difference  of  date  between  the  day  on  which  a  resolution  was 
decided  by  the  king  and  the  day  it  was  submitted  to  the  council, 
sealed  by  the  chancellor,  and  la;5tly  sent  to  the  office  of  the  court 
to  be  registered  and  published.  This  custom  was  still  pursued 
until  the  last  century. 


194  THE    DEATH-BED    OF  LEONARDO. 

Another  Order  in  Council  proves  that  the  presence  of  the 
king  was  not  indispensable  at  the  assembling  of  the  members ; 
and  also  that  Francis  I.  was  absent  from  Saint-Germain  on  the 
day  following  the  death  of  Leonardo.  The  order  in  question  is  a 
declaration  stating  that  the  acts  of  the  notaries  shall  be  dated  by 
the  bailiff  of  Tours,  in  the  bailiwick  of  Touraine.  ("Archives 
Imperiales,"  x.  8,600.)  This  is  the  final  protocol  :  ''  By  the 
King,  to  you  Bastard  of  Savoy,  Count  of  Villars,  the  Lord  of 
Saint- Blancay,  the  treasurers  of  France,  the  chiefs  of  finance  and 
others  present.     Signed.     C.  Gedoyn." 

When  the  king  presided  at  the  council,  his  presence  was 
always  there  minutely  stated ;  therefore,  according  to  the  testi- 
mony of  this  paper,  the  king  was  absent  from  the  council  on  the 
3rd  of  May,  15 19. 

We  may  therefore  draw  this  conclusion  from  the  above- 
quoted  two  proclamations  :  the  first  does  not  prove  that  the 
king  was  at  Saint-Germain  on  the  ist  of  May,  and  the  second 
certainly  proves  that  he  was  not  there  on  the  3rd,  and  the  2nd, 
as  we  know,  was  the  day  of  the  death  of  Leonardo. 

M.  Champollion  has  studied  with  great  care  this  part  of 
French  art  history,  and  takes  the  same  view  of  it  that  M.  L6on 
de  Laborde  does  in  his  "  Recherches  sur  les  Arts  en  France  au 
Seizieme  Siecle."  M.  Champollion  concludes  thus  : — "  There  is 
no  reason  to  disbelieve  a  statement  affirmed  by  Vasari,  when  no 
authentic  document  can  be  found  to  disprove  it.  This  tradition 
may  therefore  be  conscientiously  believed  in,  for  it  is  a  very 
probable  one.  It  is  not  possible  that  Vasari  should  have 
invented  a  tale  containing  so  many  minute  and  naturalistic 
details." 

For  my  part,  after  having  combated  this  belief,  I  have,  for 
some  years  past,  returned  to  it,  particularly  when  I  remarked 
that  at  the  time  when  Vasari  was  writing  the  life  of  Leonardo 
da    Vinci,    he    was     in    close    companionship    with     Francesco 


HEAD     OF    AN    OLD     MAN,     FULL-FACI 
From  a  drawing  in  the  British  Mitsetun. 


THE    TOMB    OF  LEONARDO.  195 

Melzi.^  They  had  together  looked  over  the  books  of  Leonardo 
da  Vinci,  and  it  was  Melzi  who  informed  him  that  the  anatomical 
drawings  were  for  the  most  part  by  himself  and  not  by  Leonardo. 
It  is  not  to  be  thought  of  for  a  moment  that  the  historian 
who  had,  so  to  speak,  before  him  at  the  time  he  was  writing 
a  witness  of  the  death  of  the  illustrious  master,  should  have 
invented  with  so  much  precision  of  detail,  a  scene  so  solemn 
and  so  worthy  of  being  perpetuated  in  the  history  of  art  and 
in  the  history  of  France. 


THE    TOMB    OF    LEONARDO. 

By  Arsene  Houssaye. 

iT  was  with  a  deep  feeling  of  respect  for  my  enterprise 
that  I  undertook  to  make  a  search  for  the  purpose  of 
discovering  the  tomb  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci.  The 
greatest  men  in  arts  and  literature  are  brethren  of  the  humblest 
who  hold  the  brush  or  pen.  We  all  have  a  portion  of  filial  love 
in  our  enthusiasm  and  admiration  for  the  masterpieces  of  the 
parents  of  art. 

I  ought  to  mention  that  I  started  for  Amboise^  accompanied 

*  It  was  from  Melzi  that  Vasari  was  acquainted  with  all  the  precise  details  of 
the  private  life  of  Leonardo :  "  Francesco  da  Melzo,  excellent  painter,  has  told 
ncie  that  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  his  master,  would  compose  and  put  together  birds 
which  flew  in  air."  Vasari  adds  that  the  great  seeker  did  not  consider  it  impossible 
that  man  might  one  day  rise  into  the  air  and  fly  as  a  bird. 

■•^  In  June,  i86j. 


196  THE    TOMB    OF  LEONARDO. 

by  the  good  wishes  of  every  one.  The  Emperor  had  long 
contemplated  these  researches  ;  M.  le  Comte  Walewski  was 
anxious  to  superintend  the  raising  a  statue  to  Leonardo ;  M.  le 
Comte  de  Nieuwerkerke,  and  all  artists  and  men  of  letters,  were 
interested  in  this  labour  of  love. 

From  the  moment  of  my  arrival  in  Amboise,  the  mayor,  the 
archbishop,  M.  Cartier,  the  author  of  "  L'Ange  de  Fiesole," 
the  Notary  Boreau,  a  descendant  of  that  Guillaume  Boreau 
who  wrote  the  testament  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  the  receiver- 
general,  the  architect  of  the  chateau,  all  informed  me  they 
considered  it  as  a  duty  to  aid  in  the  research.  All  have 
assisted  me  in  these  few  pages  of  history  which  I  have  at- 
tempted to  write  on  Leonardo  da  Vinci. 

Whether  Francis  L  did  or  did  not  receive  the  last  sigh  of  his 
beloved  Leonardo,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  Milanese 
painter  having  become  almost  a  Frenchman,  died  in  his  little 
chateau  of  Clou,  attended  by  his  pupil  Melzi,  and  by  his 
followers  Villanis  and  Salai.  Consequently,  as  Leonardo  died 
at  his  own  house,  it  was  certain  he  would  be  buried,  according  to 
his  last  wish,  in  the  church  whither  he  was  wont  to  worship 
God.  This  church  was  that  of  Saint  Florentin,  near  the  chateau 
of  Amboise. 

Many  writers  have  considered  the  tomb  of  Leonardo  to  be  in 
the  chapel  which  is  now  called  that  of  Saint  Florentin,  under  the 
chateau.  This  chapel  was  called  at  that  time  *'  Notre- Dame  en 
Greves,"  and  had  neither  college  nor  chapter.  This  error  has 
been  a  common  one.^ 

Nothing  occurred  to  prevent  the  last  wishes  of  Leonardo 
from  being  fulfilled ;  he  was  of  the  court,  and  had  a  right  to  a 

*  "  In  the  sixteenth  century  the  church  of  Saint  Florentin  was  the  church  of  the 
chateau ;  first  dedicated  to  the  Virgin  Mary,  it  had  been,  from  the  beginning  of 
the  eleventh  century,  put  under  the  protection  of  Saint  Florentin,  whose  body  had 
been  brought  thither  by  the  Count  of  Anjou,  then  Lord  of  Amboise." — Cartier. 


THE    TOMB    OF  LEONARDO.  197 

place  among  the  other  dead  in  the  church,  and  it  was  most 
probable  he  was  there  interred,  in  the  manner  set  forth  by  him. 
I  wish  also  to  believe  that  Francesco  Melzi,  whom  he  called  his 
son,  and  who  inherited  his  books  and  drawings,  did  not  deliver 
Leonardo's  body  to  the  dust  without  giving  him  a  tomb  of 
stone  or  even  a  leaden  coffin ;  but  though  he  was  laid  among 
the  tombs  of  nobles  and  great  personages,  there  is  no  evidence 
to  show  that  similar  honours  were  paid  to  the  memory  of  this 
great  painter. 

Count  Hugo  Gallemberg  has  told  me  that  Councillor  Pagavi 
went  during  the  last  century  to  Amboise  to  find  the  tomb 
of  Leonardo  da  Vinci.  He  searched  diligently  at  Amboise 
to  see  if  there  had  been  any  monument  erected,  or  if  he  should 
be  able  to  find  out  any  traces  which  might  discover  the  place 
of  his  retreat.  All  that  he  obtained  for  answer  was,  that  no 
tomb  bore  the  name  of  Leonardo,  not  even  in  the  church,  where 
nevertheless  he  was  buried ;  and  this  must  be  attributed  to  those 
miserable  wars,  which,  under  the  name  of  religion,  devastated 
the  country  not  long  after  the  death  of  Da  Vinci.  All  that 
Pagavi  was  able  to  learn  was  that  at  Amboise  a  painting  had 
been  found,  said  to  be  by  the  hand  of  Leonardo.  These 
religious  wars,  according  to  some  historians,  had  plundered  the 
church  and  violated  the  sepulchres,  so  that  had  the  monument 
ever  an  existence,  it  may  only  have  lasted  for  a  day.  Those 
who  remember  the  church  affirm  that  before  the  revolution 
there  was  no  tomb  of  note  which  might  strike  the  eye.  But  one 
of  the  workmen  employed  in  the  search,  and  an  old  man,  his 
companion,  insisted  that  in  their  childhood  they  had  walked  on 
the  slab  which  covered  Leonardo  in  the  choir  of  the  church. 

After  having  considered  the  story  I  began  to  doubt  it. 
Beginning  by  knowing  nothing,  and  finishing  by  knowing  all, 
appeared  suspicious.  Moreover,  the  following  anecdote  may 
give  an  idea  of  the  dangers  of  tradition. 


198  THE    TOMB    OF   LEONARDO. 

An  aged  man,  almost  a  centenarian,  living  near  the  little 
chateau  of  Da  Vinci,  was  in  the  habit  of  saying  to  his  neigh- 
bours, "  I  know  well  where  the  tomb  of  Leonardo  is,  but  I  shall 
say  nothing."  I  went  to  visit  him  in  his  little  house.  After 
many  mysterious  sentences,  he  said,  "  Worthy  Leonardo  !  I 
always  seem  to  see  him  going  from  Clos-Luce  to  the  Castle  of 
Amboise."  I  imagined  he  spoke  from  hearsay,  and  in  fact  he 
pointed  out  correctly  enough  the  road  by  which  the  painter  of 
Francis  L  walked  up  towards  the  castle.  "  Who  told  you,"  said  I, 
"  that  Leonardo  passed  that  way  ?  "  ''I  say  so,"  he  returned, 
"for  then  I  had  good  eyes."  "My  good  man,"  said  I,  "your 
memory  must  travel  back  farther  than  your  years  ;  it  is  nearly 
three  centuries  from  the  time  of  Leonardo's  death  to  that 
of  your  birth."  "  I  tell  you  I  have  seen  him."  I  took  up  my 
hat,  but  he  detained  me  on  the  threshold.  "  Would  you  like  to 
see  his  tomb  ?"  he  asked.  "Yes,"  I  answered.  "Well,  then, 
come  with  me  to  the  cemetery."  I  then  recollected  that  I  had 
seen  in  the  churchyard  at  Amboise,  near  the  tomb  of  the  Duke 
of  Choiseul,  the  tomb  of  a  painter  of  Amboise  named  Leo- 
nardo, who,  like  his  great  namesake,  had  worked  at  Clos-Luce 
and  at  the  Castle  of  Amboise. 

The  church  of  Saint  Florentin  was  pulled  down  in  1808, 
under  the  sacrilegious  senatorship  of  Roger  Ducos.  I  say 
sacrilegious  advisedly,  because  the  vandalism  was  carried  so  far 
as  to  allow  them  to  sell  the  tombstones.  They  went  even 
farther  :  the  leaden  coffins  were  actually  melted  up,  without  a 
thought  being  given  to  the  remains  contained  in  them.  Thus, 
while  money  was  being  coined  out  of  coffins,  the  human  remains 
were  carelessly  thrown  out  to  the  mercies  of  the  passers-by. 
Day  after  day  the  village  children  came  to  sport  with  the  dead, 
and  games  of  nine-pins  were  furnished  by  means  of  skulls 
and  bones. 

One  morning,  a  gardener  named  Goujon,  indignant  at  this 


THE    TOMB    OF  LEONARDO.  199 

desecration,  rose  before  daylight,  gathered  up  the  bones,  and 
piously  deposited  them  in  the  ground  in  the  place  where  the 
choir  of  the  church  had  been. 

And  all  was  forgotten,  forgotten  to  such  a  degree,  that  to  this 
day  they  believe  in  the  country  that  the  earthly  remains  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  castle  buried  in  the  church,  as  well  as  in  the 
cemetery  and  cloister,  have  been  transported  to  the  churchyard 
of  Saint  Denis  at  Amboise.  The  truth  being,  the  only  dead  left 
in  the  castle  were  those  whose  last  dwelling-place  was  a 
stone  or  leaden  coffin. 

Nevertheless,  the  story  of  the  violation  of  the  tombs  pene- 
trated to  the  farther  side  of  the  Alps  and  Rhine,  and  it  was  said 
that  during  the  time  of  the  Revolution  the  skull  of  Leonardo 
the  painter  had  been  used  as  a  toy  by  French  citizens. 

More  than  one  Italian  had  gone  to  Amboise  for  the  purpose 
of  finding  the  tomb  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  and  had  gazed  sadly 
on  the  spot  where  the  church  once  stood,  now  covered  by  thick 
growing  covert. 

The  gardener  s  daughter  has  been  often  questioned,  and  it  was 
she  who  first  gave  me  the  idea,  some  years  ago,  of  seeking  for 
the  tomb  of  the  painter  of  the  "  Last  Supper ; "  but  I  do  not 
know  whether  the  fact  of  her  having  the  painter  s  name  some- 
times on  her  lips,  arose  from  the  fact  of  her  hearing  him  spoken 
of  by  her  father  or  by  visitors.  She  it  was  who  pointed  out  to 
me  the  spot  where  the  great  painter  of  Francis  I.  might  be 
found ;  a  white  cherry-tree  was  growing  there,  whose  fruit  was 
so  rich  from  the  fact  of  its  growing  above  the  dead. 

On  Tuesday,  the  23rd  of  June,  1863,  the  first  spadeful  of  earth 
was  turned  up  before  the  mayor  and  the  Archbishop  of  Amboise. 
I  set  the  men  to  work  on  three  different  spots,  some  to  recon- 
noitre the  foundations  of  the  church,  others  to  look  for  the 
ossuary,  and  the  rest  to  search  the  tombs.  It  was  necessary  to 
dig  down  deeply,   the   soil   having  risen  over  the  site  of  the 


200  THE    TOMB    OF  LEONARDO. 

church  (whose  position  I  had  exactly  verified  from  the  drawings 
of  Du  Cerceau),  to  the  height  of  two  or  three  yards.  We  soon 
found  a  large  piece  of  the  principal  wall  of  the  aisle,  some 
fragments  of  pavement,  the  hand  of  a  statue,  and  bits  of 
broken  capitals  ;  but  the  wall  stopped  there,  for  the  church  was 
destroyed  stone  by  stone,  and  even  its  foundations  were 
blown  up. 

On  the  second  day  we  came  upon  the  ossuary  under  some 
bricks,  no  doubt  in  the  same  state  in  which  they  were  put  there 
by  the  gardener  Goujon.  These  bones  are  well  preserved.  I 
laid  aside  a  skull  which  appeared  to  me  worthy  of  obser- 
vation. 

I  made  an  official  report  of  each  fresh  discovery  which 
brought  to  light  anything  of  importance.  Here  below  are  a 
few  extracts  from  the  reports  : — 

"This  day,  the  26th  of  June,  1863,  in  presence  of  the  Mayor 
of  Amboise  ;  of  the  principal  clergyman  of  Saint  Denis  ;  of  M. 
Cartier,  of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries  ;  of  Dr.  Ortiguier ;  of 
M.  Franz  Verhas,  historical  painter ;  of  M.  Mondain,  steward  of 
the  castle  ;  and  of  the  Inspector- General  of  Fine  Arts  : 

"  The  workmen,  in  searching  the  nave  of  the  church,  have 
discovered  under  plain  slabs  of  baked  earth  three  parallel 
tombs,  containing  three  skeletons  in  remarkably  good  condition  ; 
the  feet  were  turned  towards  the  high  altar,  a  posture  indicating 
them  to  be  warriors  and  not  priests  of  the  church.  The  middle 
skeleton  had  the  skull  sawn  in  two,  but  whether  for  the  purpose 
of  dissection,  embalment,  or  preserving  the  brain,  is  not  known. 
This  skull  deserved  an  examination.  The  skeleton  on  the 
right,  whose  skull  was  not  nearly  so  well  preserved,  had  still 
around  it  some  fragments  of  a  shroud,  and  a  few  reddish  hairs 
yet  remained  on  its  head.  Near  the  third  skeleton,  whose  skull 
had  fallen  in  pieces,  was  found  a  vase  of  red  earthenware  with 
handles,  containing  some  ashes. 


THE    TOMB    OF  LEONARDO.  201 

"  This  day,  June  27,  1863,  the  workmen  have  brought  to  light 
a  tomb  in  stone,  of  which  M.  Verhas  has  made  a  drawing. 

"  The  slabs  were  cut  and  cemented  with  great  care,  but  unfor- 
tunately the  one  which  covered  the  head  having,  no  doubt,  been 
struck  by  the  mutilators,  had  broken  and  the  earth  had  got  in. 
Nevertheless  we  found  the  skeleton  entire,  together  with  some 
portions  of  a  shroud  and  shoes.  As  in  most  of  the  other  tombs, 
we  found  two  vases  placed  one  on  each  side  of  the  head,  one  of 
them  being  filled  with  charcoal  as  brilliant  as  stalactites." 

Here  and  there  we  found  pieces  of  sculpture,  and  broken  slabs 
with  inscriptions,  coats  of  arms,  or  figures  on  them.  Only  one 
tombstone  is  in  good  preservation  ;  it  bears  a  female  face  and 
the  inscription  :  "  Demoiselle  de  Cast^fille  de  noble  homme  Alphari 
de  Cast.'''' 

It  was  at  the  depth  of  a  yard  and  a-half  under  the  oldest  brick 
pavement  of  the  church — for  we  found  as  many  as  three  different 
elevations — that  we  discovered  some  tombs.  A  staircase,  the 
masonry  of  which  was  still  intact,  led  to  the  vault,  in  which  were 
contained  three  skeletons,  the  skull  of  one  of  them  being  sawn  in 
two.  A  little  farther  on  we  found  another  skeleton,  the  head 
laid  in  an  iron  vase  containing  some  red  perfumed  sand. 

Among  the  tombs  in  good  condition,  we  discovered  one  under 
the  high  altar,  of  a  child  barely  a  year  old,  which,  on  being 
touched,  crumbled  into  dust.  Some  of  those  present  considered 
it  to  be  the  body  of  one  of  the  children  of  Charles  VIII.,  although 
their  mausoleum  is  at  Tours.  The  children  of  Charles  VIII. 
were  in  truth  buried  at  Amboise,  in  the  church  of  Saint  Flo- 
rentin,  though  it  is  possible  that  when  the  mausoleum  was  built 
for  them  at  Tours,  their  bones  were  still  suffered  to  remain 
at  Amboise.^  ... 

*  We  removed  the  tomb  and  the  mortal  remains  of  the  httle  child  into  one  of 
^he  halls  of  the  castle  which  are  closed  to  visitors. 


202  THE    TOMB    OF   LEONARDO. 

After  an  enforced  absence,  we  recommenced  our  search  at  the 
end  of  July.  Some  days  were  passed  in  clearing  away,  for,  as 
I  said  before,  the  work  was  a  difficult  one  on  account  of  the 
accumulation  of  earth  and  the  precautions  we  had  to  take 
against  injuring  the  tombs,  they  being  for  the  most  part  without 
tombstones. 

Our  report  brought  out  a  letter  from  a  M.  Duchatellier  : — 

"  To  the  Editor  of  the  '  Presse! 

"  Paris,  August  8th,  1863. 
"Sir, 

"  Roger  Ducos  did  not,  as  has  been  printed,  lay  a  sacrilegious 
hand  on  the  tombs  of  the  church  belonging  to  the  castle  of 
Amboise.  I  must  stand  up  for  his  memory  in  the  acts  of  his 
senatorship  which  he  received  from  Napoleon  I.  My  father, 
who  represented  him  at  the  castle,  has  more  than  once  told  me 
that  the  tomb  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci  was  a  subject  which  had 
occupied  the  attention  of  Roger  Ducos.  It  was,  I  believe,  in 
the  choir  of  the  church  ;  and  the  senator  spoke  of  erecting  a 
small  mausoleum  in  the  garden  to  his  memory.  Passing  events 
did  not  leave  him  the  time  to  do  so,  and  perhaps  he  thought 
that  the  trees  and  flowers  planted  on  the  site  of  the  church 
were  the   greatest  homage   which  could  be  given  to  one  who 

had  made  an  idol  of  Nature. 

"Jules  Duchatellier." 

This  "  greatest  homage  "  was  decidedly  the  most  economical 
one.  Already  had  Roger  Ducos,  to  render  homage  to  God, 
broken  down  and  demolished  the  church,  under  pretext  that  the 
temple  of  Nature  was  more  agreeable  to  Him  than  a  church  in 
want  of  repair.  It  was  without  doubt  more  economical,  as  they 
made  money  out  of  the  materials,  the  sculptures,  and  even  the 
lead  of  the  coffins. 


THE    TOMB    OF  LEONARDO.  203 

We  returned  to  the  choir  of  the  church,  which  we  had  at  first 
passed  over  too  quickly. 

The  20th  of  August  we  lighted  on  a  very  old  tomb,  which  had 
been,  at  the  demolition  of  Saint  Florentin,  covered  with  unequal 
stones.  No  doubt  the  original  tombstone  had  been  broken, 
and,  out  of  respect  for  the  dead,  replaced  by  slabs  belonging  to 
the  church,  and  bearing  still  some  rude  traces  of  fresco  painting. 
I  suddenly  recollected  M.  Duchatellier  s  letter.  We  were,  with- 
out doubt,  on  the  spot  pointed  out  by  him,  by  an  old  man  of 
Amboise,  a  workman,  and  lastly,  by  the  gardeners  daughter.  It 
was  in  the  choir  of  the  church,  close  to  the  wall,  and  toward  the 
top  of  the  plantation,  where  grew  the  white  cherry  tree. 

We  uncovered  the  skeleton  with  great  respect;  nothing  had 
occurred  to  disturb  the  repose  of  death,  excepting  that  towards 
the  head  the  roots  of  the  tree  had  overturned  the  vase  of  char- 
coal. After  displacing  a  few  handfuls  of  earth,  we  saw  great 
dignity  in  the  attitude  of  the  majestic  dead.  The  sketch  taken 
by  M.  Franz  Verhas  gives  the  idea  faithfully.  The  head  rested 
on  the  hand  as  if  in  sleep.  This  is  the  only  skeleton  we  dis- 
covered in  this  position,  which  is  never  given  to  the  dead,  and 
appears  that  of  a  deep  thinker  tired  with  study.  .  .  I  had 
brought  with  me  from  Milan  a  portrait  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci, 
....  and  the  skull  we  had  taken  from  its  tomb  corresponded 
exactly  with  the  drawing.  Many  doctors  have  seen  it,  and  con- 
sider it  to  be  the  skull  of  a  septuagenarian.  Eight  teeth  still 
remain  in  the  jaws,  four  above  and  four  below.  Like  the  skull 
of  Raphael,  this  other  one  was  well  balanced,  indicating  perfec- 
tion, but  more  powerful.  .  .  The  brow  projects  over  the  eyes, 
and  is  broad  and  high ;  the  occipital  arch  was  ample  and  purely 
defined.  Intellect  had  reigned  there,  but  no  especial  quality 
predominated. 

We  collected  near  the  head  some  fragments  of  hair  or  beard, 
and  a  few  shreds  of  brown  woollen  material.     On  the  feet  were 


204  THE    TOMB    OF  LEONARDO, 

found  some  pieces  of  sandals,  still  keeping  the  shape  of  the 
feet.  ... 

The  skeleton,  which  measured  five  feet  eight  inches,  accords 
with  the  height  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci.  The  skull  might  have 
served  for  the  model  of  the  portrait  Leonardo  drew  of  himself 
in  red  chalk  a  few  years  before  his  death.  M.  Robert  Fleury, 
head  master  of  the  Fine  Art  School  at  Rome,  has  handled  the 
skull  with  respect,  and  recognized  in  it  the  grand  and  simple 
outline  of  this  human  yet  divine  head,  which  once  held  a  world 
within  its  limits." 

*^*  As  ail  accotint  oj  the  finding  of  the  Tomb-stone  is  given  in  the  earlier  part  of 
this  book  it  has  not  been  considered  desirable  to  repeat  it  here. 


THE    MANUSCRIPTS    OF    LEONARDO. 

|S  in  any  disquisition  relating  to  Leonardo  da  Vinci 
frequent  reference  must  be  made  to  the  disordered 
condition  of  his  MSS.,  it  has  been  thought  de- 
sirable to  reprint  a  summary  of  their  present 
situation  and  state,  extracted  from  the  work  "  II  Genio  di  Leo- 
nardo," by  Gilberto  Govi,  Milan,  1872. 

What  and  how  many  manuscript  volumes  Leonardo  left  at  his 
death  is  not  known,  as  all  that  is  stated  in  the  will  is  as 
follows  : — "  The  aforesaid  testator  gives  and  bequeathes  to 
Messer  Francesco  da  Melzi,  gentleman,  of  Milan,  in  remunera- 
tion of  grateful  services  done  to  the  testator  by  him  aforetime, 
all  and  every  one  of  the  books  which  the  said  testator  has  at 
present,  and  other  instruments  and  portraits  relative  to  his  own 
art,  and  to  the  industry  of  painters,"  without  any  farther 
information. 

After  the  death  of  Leonardo,  on  May  2,  15 19,  Francesco 
Melzi  transported  to  Vaprio  everything  which  the  master  had 
bequeathed  him,  and  preserved  them  religiously  to  his  dying 
day.  Alberto  Bendidio,  Resident  at  Milan  from  the  court  of 
Ferrara,  made  a  fruitless  attempt  in  1523  to  obtain  from  Melzi 
the  writings  and  sketches  of  Leonardo,  on  the  part  of  his  lord, 
Alfonso  I.  of  Este.  No  inventory,  however,  seems  to  have 
been  taken  of  these  treasures,  nor,  at  the  death  of  Francesco  in 
1523,  do  his  heirs  appear  to  have  given  the  matter  a  thought. 
Of  so  little  value  in  their  eyes  were  the  relics  of  Leonardo,  that 


2o6  THE   MANUSCRIPTS    OF   LEONARDO. 

about  1587  a  certain  Lelio  Gavardi  was  allowed  to  take  away 
thirteen  volumes  of  Da  Vinci's  manuscripts,  without  any  opposition 
on  the  part  of  the  Melzi  family,  perhaps  without  their  knowledge. 
Gian  Ambrogio  Mazenta  restored  to  the  Melzi  the  thirteen 
volumes  which  had  disappeared  from  their  possession,  and  which 
he  had  recovered  from  the  clutches  of  Gavardi.  But  Signor 
Orazio,  a  worthy  collegiate  doctor,  then  head  of  the  family,  "  mar- 
velled much,"  says  Mazenta,  "  that  I  had  taken  so  much  trouble," 
and  courteously  presented  him  with  the  recovered  volumes, 
adding  that  "  there  were  many  more  designs  by  the  same  author 
lying  disregarded  in  the  garrets  of  his  country  house."  Whether 
Mazenta  took  possession  of  the  latter  drawings  thus  offered  to 

him, 

"...  quo  more  pins  vesci  Calaber  jubet  hospes," 

we  do  not  learn,  but  the  thirteen  volumes  were  undoubtedly  in 
his  possession  until  the  sculptor,  Pompeo  Leoni,  of  Arezzo,  got 
hold  of  seven,  stating  his  wish  to  offer  them  to  Philip  II.  of 
Spain.  At  the  death  of  this  prince  in  1598,  these  volumes 
seem  to  have  remained  in  the  hands  of  Leoni,  who  had 
obtained  from  the  brothers  of  Mazenta  and  from  the  Melzi 
certain  other  drawings,  sheets  and  books  (probably  the 
sweepings  of  the  garret),  sold  some  of  them  to  the  King 
of  England — being  in  fact  part  of  the  Arundel  Collection — 
and  others  to  Count  Galeazzo  Arconati,  who  on  the  21st  of 
January,  1637,  presented  them  to  the  Ambrosian  Library.^ 

Of  the  six  volumes  which  were  still  the  property  of  Mazenta, 
one  was  presented  by  him  to  Cavaliere  Federigo  Borromeo  in 

•  On  this  occasion  an  accurate  description  of  the  contents  of  each  separate 
volume  accompanied  the  gift.  From  the  inscription  in  the  Ambrosian  Library, 
commemorating  the  liberal  and  patriotic  behaviour  of  Count  Arconati,  we  learn 
that  a  king  of  England  had  offered  3000  gold  doubloons  of  Spain  for  one  volume 
only.  This  was,  no  doubt,  the  "  Codice  Atlantic©,"  which  is  stated  to  have  con- 
tained at  that  time  1750  sketches. 


The   MANl/SCRIPTS    OF  LEONARDO.  207 

1603,  another  to  the  painter  Ambrogio  Figini,  by  whom  it  was 
in  turn  bequeathed  to  Ercole  Bianchi,  called  II  Vespino,  and  a 
third  volume  to  Duke  Carlo  Emmanuele  of  Savoy.  The  re- 
maining three  volumes  passed  into  the  hands  of  Leoni,  who 
by  adding  to  them  the  loose  sheets,  sketches  and  other  matters 
obtained  from  the  Melzi,  compiled  the  huge  volume  which  is 
still  treasured  in  the  Ambrosian  Library,  and  which  from  its  size 
and  form  has  received  the  title  of  the  "  Codice  Atlantico." 

Bianchi's  volume  is  known  to  have  been  purchased  in  the 
eighteenth  century  by  that  extensive  collector,  Consul  Smith,  of 
Venice ;  but  of  its  fate  on  the  dispersion  of  Mr.  Smith's  collec- 
tion we  are  left  uncertain.  Of  that  belonging  to  the  Duke  of 
Savoy  we  are  equally  in  doubt,  but  two  extensive  fires,  which  in 
1667  and  1679  did  much  mischief  to  the  Royal  Library  of 
Turin,  offer  a  mournful  probability  of  explanation. 

The  books,  as  devised  by  their  author  to  Melzi,  and  which 
afterwards  became  the  property  of  Mazenta,  must  certainly  have 
been  more  than  thirteen  in  number,  for  there  were  twelve  which 
passed  from  the  house  of  Arconati  to  the  Ambrosian  Library, 
one  which  had  been  previously  given  by  Mazenta  to  Borromeo, 
and  another,  presented  at  a  later  period  (1674)  by  Count  Orazio 
Archinta ;  thus  making  the  total  number  at  the  end  of  the  last 
century  fourteen  volumes.  Indeed,  if  the  "Codice  Atlantico," 
composed  as  it  is  of  several  volumes,  taken  to  pieces  and 
mounted  on  large  sheets  of  drawing  paper,  had  been  judiciously 
arranged  according  to  the  various  sizes  of  the  drawings,  the 
total  of  volumes  would  not  fall  short  of  twenty. 

It  must,  however,  be  observed  that  the  second  of  the  twelve 
volumes  presented  by  the  Arconati,  and  duly  described  in  the 
act  of  donation,  was  not  a  manuscript  of  Da  Vinci  himself, 
though  often  erroneously  supposed  to  be  so.  It  was  a  copy  of 
the  work,  "  De  Divina  Proportione,"  by  Fra  Luca  Paciolo,  of 
Borgo  S.  Sepolcro  ;  and  is  the  identical  copy  presented  by  the 


2o8  THE    MANUSCRIPTS    OF   LEONARDO. 

author  to  Galeazzo  Sanseverino,  of  which  the  figures  were  drawn 
by  Leonardo.  When  in  1796  the  French  plundered  Milan  of 
all  the  MSS.  of  Da  Vinci,  they  left  behind  them  this  volume  of 
Paciolo,  which  Dozio  therefore  supposed  to  be  lost,  not  being 
able  to  find  it  in  the  list  of  those  at  present  in  the  Bibliotheque 
de  rinstitut,  at  Paris.  The  volume,  however,  is  in  the  Ambro- 
sian  Library,  in  a  very  good  state  of  preservation. 

It  results,  therefore,  that  the  number  of  volumes  of  Leonardo's 
sketches  actually  belonging  to  the  Ambrosian  Library  in  1796 
was  thirteen,  and  not  fourteen,  including  the  "  Codice  Atlantico." 
In  the  months  of  May  and  June  of  that  year  the  thirteen 
volumes  were  seized  by  the  orders  of  General  Buonaparte 
and  transferred  to  Paris,  where  the  National  Library  received 
them  on  the  25th  November.  Their  arrival  was  published  in 
the  "  Moniteur"  of  the  28th,  but  shortly  afterwards,  by  order  of 
the  executive  Directory,  twelve  volumes  were  deposited  in  the 
Bibliotheque  de  Tlnstitut.  The  transfer  was  recorded  in  the 
"  Moniteur."  Venturi,  in  his  "  Essai  sur  les  Ouvrages  Physico- 
Mathematiques  de  Leonard  de  Vinci"  mentions  the  fact ;  many 
others  repeated  it.  The  detention  of  the  twelve  volumes  in 
Paris  must  therefore  be  ascribed  to  the  fault  of  the  Austrian 
commissioner,  who,  when  France  was  compelled  to  disgorge  a 
great  part  of  her  plunder,  demanded  only  those  works  of  Leonardo 
which  were  in  the  National  Library,  and  from  forgetful ness  or 
ignorance,  omitted  all  mention  of  the  others.  On  October  5th, 
18 1 5,  therefore,  the  "Codice  Atlantico"  was  given  up,  accom- 
panied by  some  old  copies  of  MSS.  of  Da  Vinci,  which  were 
sent  to  satisfy  the  reiterated  demands  of  Austria  for  the  works 
which  the  authorities  of  the  now  Royal  Library  maintained  were 
not  in  their  custody.  It  is  feared  that  the  two  precious  volumes 
now  in  the  Ashburnham  Collection  were  in  great  part  made  up 
by  unwarrantable  mutilations  of  the  volumes  in  the  Institut. 
Possibly  it  was  from  the  same  source  that  the  "  Treatise  on  the 


THE   MANUSCRIPTS    OF  LEONARDO.  209 

Flight  of  Birds"  was  derived,  which  M.  Libri  not  long  before  his 
death  sold  to  Count  Manzoni  of  Lugo,  and  which  that  devoted 
bibliophilist  rates  as  a  chief  treasure  of  his  rich  library. 

We  have  yet  to  mention  a  manuscript,  known  as  the  "  Codi- 
cetto  Trivulziano,"  having  been  sold  about  1750  to  Don  Carlo 
Trivulzio  by  Don  Gaetano  Caccia,  a  cavaliere  of  Novara.  It  is 
somewhat  singular  that  this  Codicetto  greatly  resembles  the 
fifth  volume  of  those  given  by  Count  Arconati  to  the  Ambrosian 
Library,  the  contents  of  which  were  accurately  noted,  while  the 
fifth  volume  of  the  twelve,  still  in  France,  is  a  small  MS.  upon 
Vision,  containing  only  ten  small  folios,  and  is  certainly  not  one 
of  those  given  by  Arconati  in  1637.  Of  the  circumstances  under 
which  this  change  was  effected  no  record  exists,  and  it  can 
only  be  conjectured  to  be  the  work  of  Arconati  himself,  who 
possibly  considered  the  treatise  on  Vision  a  more  important  work. 
Two  other  MSS.  of  Leonardo's  are  in  England ;  namely,  one 
in  the  British  Museum,  the  other  at  Windsor.  From  among  the 
numerous  and  admirable  anatomic  drawings  in  this  last  we  may 
mention  one  which,  having  been  engraved  by  Chamberlaine  in 
181 2,  was  reproduced  in  lithography  at  Brunswick  in  1830,  with 
the  title  "  Tabula  Anatomica  Leonardi  Vincii,"  a  fact  which  gave 
rise  to  the  erroneous  supposition  that  the  original  drawing  was 
to  be  found  in  the  library  of  Wolfenbiittel. 

Various  scattered  drawings,  accompanied  as  usual  by  manu- 
script notes,  are  to  be  found  in  the  galleries  of  Venice,  Florence, 
and  Paris,  and  in  the  King's  Library  at  Turin. ^ 


*  The  above  narrative  of  the  vicissitudes  to  which  Leonardo's  MSS.  were 
exposed,  having  been  based  wholly  upon  Sig.  Govi's  essay,  it  was  better  not  to 
interpolate  any  extraneous  matter ;  but  a  small  correction  is  permissible,  as  being 
extracted  from  the  original  letter  of  Giannambrogio  Mazenta,  quoted  by  Venturi, 
He  states  that  Pompeo  Leoni  having  promised  the  doctor  Orazio  to  obtain  for 
him  the  rank  of  Senator  of  Milan  if  he  could  but  get  back  from  Mazenta  the 
thirteen  volumes,  "  Orazio  sought  out  my  brother," — Gian  Ambrogio  being  now 

P 


2IO  THE   MANUSCRIPTS    OF  LEONARDO. 


ORIGINAL   LETTER 

From  Leonardo  da  Vinci  to  Lodovico  Sforza  (see  page  9). 

>AVENDO,  S"^^  mio  111.,  visto  et  considerate  oramai 
nel  sufficientia  le  prove  di  tutti  quelli  che  si  reputano 
maestri  et  compositori  d'  istrumenti  bellici ;  et  che  le 
inventione  et  operatione  de  dicti  instrumenti  non  sono  niente 
alieni  dal  comune  uso ;  mi  et  forsero  non  derogando  a  nessun 
altro,  farmi  intendere  da  Vostra  Excellentia ;  aprendo  a  quello 
li  segreti  miei ;  et  appresso  offerendoli  ad  ognl  sua  piacimento, 
in  tempi  opportuni  speraro  cum  effecto  circha  tutte  quelle  cose, 
che  sub  brevita  in  presente  saranno  qui  sotto  notate. 

1.  Ho  modo  di  far  punti  (ponti)  leggerissimi  et  acti  ad  portare 
facilissimamente  et  cum  quelli  seguire  et  alcuna  volta  fuggire  li 
inimici ;  et  altri  securi  et  inoffensibili  da  fuoco  et  battaglia ;  facili 
et  commodi  da  levare  et  ponere.  Et  modi  de  ardere  et  disfare 
quelli  de  li  nimici. 

2.  So  in  la  obsidione  de  una  terra  toglier  via  Tacqua  de'  fossi 
et  fare  infinlti  pontighati  a  scale  e  altri  instrumenti  pertinenti  ad 
dicta  expeditione. 

3.  Item,  se  per  altezza  de  arglne  o  per  fortezza  de  loco  et  di 
sito,  non  si  potesse  in  la  obsidione  de  una  terra  usare  I'ofiicio 
delle  bombarde  ho  modo  di  rulnare  ogni  roccia  o  altra  fortezza 
se  gia  non  fusse  fondata  sul  sasso. 

4.  Ho  anchora  modi  de  bombarde  commodissime  et  facile  ad 

a  Bamabite  monk,  the  property  had  devolved  upon  his  brother—"  and  begged 
him  on  his  knees  to  give  him  back  the  present  he  had  made ;  and.  as  he  was  a 
colleague,  friend,  and  benefactor,  he  (my  brother)  returned  him  seven."  It  was 
therefore  from  the  good  doctor,  at  length  awakened  to  the  value  of  his  treasures, 
that  Leoni  received  the  volumes,  but  it  may  be  doubted  if  his  shoulders  were  ever 
decorated  with  the  Senator's  robe  in  return. 


ORIGINAL    LETTER    OF  LEONARDO.  211 

portare,  et  cum  quelle  buttano  minuti  di  tempesta ;  et  cum  el 
fumo  de  quella  dando  grande  spavento  a  I'inimico  cum  grave  suo 
danno  et  confusione. 

5.  Item  ho  modi  per  cave  et  vie  strette  e  distorte  facte  senza 
alcuno  strepito,  per  venire  ad  uno  certo — che  bisognasse  pas- 
sare  sotto  fossi  o  alcuno  fiume. 

6.  Item  fatio  carri  coperti  sicuri  e  inoffensibili,  e  quali  entrando 
intra  ne  I'inimici  cum  sue  artiglierie,  non  e  si  grande  multitudine 
di  gente  d'arme  che  non  rompessino  ;  et  dietro  a  questi  pote- 
ranno  seguire  fanterie  assai  inlesi  e  senza  alchuno  impedimento. 

7.  Item  occorrendo  di  bisogno,  faro  bombard e,  mortari  et 
passavolanti  di  bellissime  et  utile  forme  fora  del  comune  uso. 

8.  Dove  mancassi  le  operazione  delle  bombarde,  componero 
briccole,  manghani,  trabuchi  et  altri  instrumenti  di  mirabile 
efficacia  et  fora  del  usato ;  et  in  somma  se  secondo  la  varieta 
de'  casi  componero  varie  et  infinite  cose  da  offendere. 

9.  Et  quando  accadesse  essere  in  mare,  ho  modi  de'  molti 
instrumenti  actissimi  da  offendere  et  defendere  et  navili  che 
faranno  resistentia  al  trarre  de  omni  grossissima  bombarda ;  et 
polveri  o  fumi. 

10.  In  tempo  di  pace  credo  satisfare  benissimo,  a  paragoni  de 
omni  altro,  in  architettura  in  composizione  di  edifici  et  publici  et 
privati ;  et  in  conducere  acqua  da  un  loco  ad  un  altro. 

Item  conducero  in  sculptura  de  marmore  di  bronzo  et  di  terra; 
similiter  in  pictura  cio  che  si  possa  fare  ad  paragone  di  omni 
altro,  et  sia  chi  vole. 

Ancora  si  potera  dare  opera  al  cavallo  di  bronzo  che  sara 
gloria  immortale  et  eterno  onore  della  felice  memoria  del  S''^ 
vostro  Padre,  et  de  la  inclyta  casa  Sforzesca.  Et  se  alchune  de 
le  sopra  dicte  cose  ad  alcuno  paressimo  impossibili  et  infactibili, 
me  ne  offero  paratissimo  ad  fame  experimento  in  el  vostro 
parco  o  in  qual  loco  piacera  a  Vostra  Excellentia  :  ad  la  quale 
umilmente  quanto  piu  posso  me  raccomando,  etc. 


212  THE    MANUSCRIPTS    OF  LEONARDO. 


THE  LAST  TESTAMENT  OF  LEONARDO. 

)T  seems  tolerably  certain  that  the  testament  of  Leo- 
nardo da  Vinci  was  originally  written  in  French,  for 
according  to  the  statement  of  the  present  representa- 
tive of  the  Boureau  family,  (in  a  letter  to  M.  Houssaye),  Pierre 
Boureau  and  Jean  Guillaume  Boureau,  who  was  notary  in  15 13, 
received  all  depositions  in  French.  The  French  original,  how- 
ever, has  not  been  found,  but  only  the  Italian  copy  now  given, 
which  must  have  been  made  either  at  Amboise  or  in  Italy. 

Sia  manifesto  ad  ciaschaduna  persona  presente  et  advenire, 
che  nella  corte  del  Re  nostro  signore  in  Amboysia  avanti  de  noy 
personalmente  constituito  messer  Leonardo  de  Vince,  pictore 
del  Re,  al  presente  comorante  nello  locho  dicto  du  Cloux  appresso 
de  Amboysia,  el  qual  considerando  la  certezza  de  la  morte  e 
lincertezza  del  hora  di  quella,  ha  cognosciuto  et  confessato  nela 
dicta  corte  nanzi  de  noy  nela  quale  se  somesso  e  somette  circa 
cio  havere  facto  et  ordinato  per  tenore  dela  presente  il  suo 
testamento  et  ordinanza  de  ultima  volunta  nel  modo  qual  se 
seguita.  Primeramente  el  racomenda  lanima  sua  ad  Nostro 
Signore  Messer  Domine  Dio,  alia  gloriosa  Virgine  Maria,  a 
monsignore  sancto  Michele,  et  a  tutti  li  beati  angeli  santi  e  sante 
del  paradiso.  Item  el  dicto  testatore  vole  essere  seppelito  drento 
la  giesia  de  Sancto  Florentino  de  Amboysia,  et  suo  corpo  essere 
portato  li  per  li  capellani  di  quella.  Item  che  il  suo  corpo  sia 
accompagnato  dal  dicto  locho  fin  nela  dicta  giesia  de  Sancto 
Florentino  per  il  colegio  de  dicta  giesia  cioe  dal  rectore  et  priore, 
o  vero  dali  vicarrii  soy  et  capellani  de  la  giesia  di  Sancto  Dionisio 
d' Amboysia,  etiam  li  fratri  minori  del  dicto  locho ;    et  avante  de 


THE   LAST  TESTAMENT   OF  LEONARDO.  213 

essere  portato  il  suo  corpo  nela  dicta  chiesia,  esso  testatore,  vole 
siano  celebrate  ne  la  dicta  chiesia  di  Sancto  Florentine  tre  grande 
messe  con  diacono  et  sottodiacono,  et  il  di  che  se  diranno  dicte 
tre  grande  messe  che  se  dicano  anchora  trenta  messe  basse  de 
Sancto  Gregorio.  Item  nela  dicta  chiesia  de  Sancto  Dionisio 
simil  servitio  sia  celebrato  como  di  sopra.  Item  nela  chiesia  de 
dicti  fratri  et  religiosi  minori  simile  servitio. 

Item  el  prefato  testatore  dona  et  concede  ad  messer  Francesco 
da  Melzo,  gentilomo  da  Milano,  per  remuneratione  de  servitii  ad 
epso  grati  a  lui  facti  per  il  passato,  tutti  et  ciaschaduno  di  libri, 
che  il  dicto  testatore  ha  de  presente  et  altri  instrumenti  et  por- 
tracti  circa  larte  sua  et  industria  de  pictori.  Item  epso  testatore 
dona  et  concede  a  sempre  mai  perpetuamente  a  Battista  de 
Villanis  suo  servitore  la  meta  zoe  medieta  de  uno  iardino,  che  a 
fora  a  le  mura  de  Milano,  et  laltra  meta  de  epso  iardino  ad  Sala 
suo  servitore  nel  qual  iardino  il  prefato  Salay  ha  edificata  et  con- 
structa  una  casa,  la  qual  sara  et  restera  similmente  a  sempremai 
perpetudine  al  dicto  Salai,  soi  heredi,  et  successori,  et  cio  in 
remuneratione  di  boni  et  grati  servitii  che  dicti  de  Vilanis  et 
Salay  dicti  suoi  servitori  lui  hano  facto  de  qui  inanzi.  Item  epsa 
testatore  dona  a  Maturina  sua  fantescha  una  vesta  de  bon  pan 
negro  foderata  de  pelle,  una  socha  de  panno  et  doy  ducati  per 
una  volta  solamente  pagati :  et  cio  in  remuneratione  similmente 
de  boni  servitii  ha  lui  facta  epsa  Maturina  de  qui  inanzi.  Item 
vole  che  ale  sue  exequie  siano  sexanta  torchie,  lequale  seranno 
portate  per  sexanta  poveri  ali  quali  seranno  dati  danari  per 
portarle  a  discretione  del  dicto  Melzo,  le  quali  torzi  seranno 
divise  nelle  quatro  chiesie  sopradicte.  Item  el  dicto  testatore 
dona  ad  ciascheduna  de  dicte  chiesie  sopradicte  diece  libre  cera 
in  candele  grosse  che  seranno  messe  nelle  dicte  chiesie  per  servire 
al  di  che  se  celebreranno  dicti  servitii.  Item  che  sia  dota  ali 
poveri  del  ospedale  di  Dio,  alii  poveri  de  Sancto  Lazaro  de 
Amboysia,  et  per  cio  fare  sia  dato  et  pagato  alii  tesorieri  depsa 


214  THE    MANUSCRIPTS    OF  LEONARDO, 

confraternita  la  summa  et  quantita  de  soyxante  dece  soldi  tor- 
nesi.  Item  epso  testatore  dona  et  concede  al  dicto  messer 
Francesco  Melee  presente  et  acceptante  il  resto  della  sua  pensione 
et  summa  de'  danari  qual  alui  sono  debiti  del  passato  fino  al  di 
della  sua  morte  per  il  recevoir,  overo  tesorario  general  M.  Johan 
Sapin,  et  tutte  et  ciaschaduna  summe  de'  danari  che  ha  receputo 
dal  p°.  Sapin  de  la  dicta  sua  pensione,  et  in  caxo  chel  decede 
inanzi  al  prefato  Melzo,  et  non  altramente  li  quali  danari  sono 
al  presente  nella  possessione  del  dicto  testatore  nel  dicto  loco  de 
Cloux  como  el  dice.  Et  similmente  et  dona  et  concede  al  dicto 
de  Melze  tucti  et  ciaschaduni  suoi  vestimenti  quali  ha  al  presente 
ne  lo  dicto  de  Cloux  tarn  per  remuneratione  de  boni  et  grati 
servitii,  a  lui  facti  da  qui  inanzi,  che  per  lui  suoi  salari  vacationi 
et  fatiche  chel  potra  avere  circa  la  executione  del  presente  testa- 
men  to,  il  tutto  pero  ale  spexe  del  dicto  testatore. 

Ordina  et  vole,  che  la  summa  de  quattrocento  scudi  del  sole 
che  ha  in  deposito  in  man  del  camarlingo  de  Sancta  Maria  de 
Nove  nela  citta  de  Fiorenza  siano  dati  ali  soy  fratelli  carnali 
residenti  in  Fiorenza  con  el  profitto  et  emolumento  che  ne  po 
essere  debito  fino  al  presente  da  prefati  camarlinghi  al  prefato 
testatore  per  casone  de  dicti  scudi  quatrocento  da  poi  el  di  che 
furono  per  el  prefato  testatore  dati  et  consignati  alii  dicti  camar- 
linghi. Item  vole  et  ordina  dicto  testatore  che  dicto  messer 
Francisco  de  Melzo  sia  et  remana  solo  et  in  sol  per  il  tutto 
executore  del  testamento  del  prefato  testatore,  et  che  questo 
dicto  testamento  sortisca  suo  pleno  et  integro  effecto,  et  circa 
cio  che  e  narrato  et  detto  havere  tenere  guardare  et  observare 
epso  messer  Leonardo  de  Vince,  testatore  constituto  ha  obbligato 
et  obbliga  par  le  presente  epsi  soy  heredi  et  successori  con 
ogni  soy  beni  mobili  et  immobili  presenti  et  advenire  et  ha 
renunciato  et  renuncia  per  le  presente  expressamente  ad  tucte 
et  ciaschaduna  le  cose  ad  cio  contrarie. 

Datum  ne  lo  dicto  loco  de  Cloux  ne  le  presencie  de  magis- 


THE   LAST    TESTAMENT   OF  LEONARDO.  215 

tro  Spirito  Fieri,  vicario  nela  chiesia  de  Sancto  Dionisio  de 
Amboysia,  M.  Gulielmo  Croysant,  prete  et  cappellano,  magistro 
Cipnano  Fulchin,  fratre  Francesco  de  Gorton  et  Francesco 
da  Milano  religioso  de  covento  de  fratri  minori  de  Amboysia, 
testimonii  ad  cio  ciamati  et  vocati  ad  tenire  per  il  indicio 
de  la  dicta  corte,  in  presentia  del  prefato  M.  Francesco  de 
Melze,  acceptante  et  consentiente  il  quale  ha  promesso  per 
fede  et  sacramento  del  corpo  suo  per  lui  dati  corporalmente 
ne  le  mane  nostre  di  non  mai  fare  venire,  dire,  ne  andare 
in  contrario.  Et  sigillato  a  sua  requesta  dal  sigillo  regale 
statuito  a  li  contracti  legali  d'Amboysia,  et  in  segno  de  verita. 
Dat.  a  di  xxiii  de  aprile  mdxviii  avanti  la  Pasqua  et  a  di  xxiii 
depso  mese  de  aprile  mdxviii  ne  la  presentia  di  M. Gulielmo  Boreau, 
notario  regio  ne  la  corte  de  balagio  d'Amboysia,  il  prefato 
M.  Leonardo  de  Vince  ha  donato  et  concesso  per  il  suo  testa- 
mento  et  ordinanza  de  ultima  volunta  supradicta  al  dicto  M. 
Baptista  de  Vilanis,  presente  et  acceptante  il  dritto  de  laqua  che 
qdam  bone  memorie  ReLudovico  XI I  ultimo  defuncto  ha  alias  dato 
a  epso  de  Vince  suxo  il  fiume  del  naviglio  di  Sancto  Cristoforo 
ne  lo  ducato  de  Milano  per  gauderlo  per  epso  de  Vilanis  a 
sempre  mai  in  tal  modo  et  forma  che  el  dicto  signore  ne  ha  facto 
dono  in  presentia  di  M.  Francesco  da  Melzo,  gentilhomo  de 
Milano  et  io.  Et  a  di  prefato  nel  dicto  mese  de  aprile  ne  lo 
dicto  anno  mdxviii  epso  M.  Leonardo  de  Vinci  per  il  suo  testa- 
mento  et  ordinanza  de  ultima  volunta  sopradicta  ha  donato  al 
prefato  M.  Baptista  et  Vilanis  presente  et  acceptante  tutti  et 
ciaschaduni  mobili  et  ustensili  de  caxa  soy  de  presente  ne  lo  dicto 
loco  du  Cloux.  In  caxo  pero  che  el  dicto  de  Vilanis  surviva  al 
prefato  M.  Leonardo  de  Vince,  in  presentia  del  prefato  M.  Fran- 
cesco da  Melzo  et  io  notario,  etc. 

Boreau  (Boureau). 


CHRONOLOGY  OF  THE  LIFE  OF 
LEONARDO  DA  VINCL 

COxMPILED   FROM   AUTHENTIC   DOCUMENTS  FURNISHED  BY 
AmORETTI,   GAYE,   and   OTHER   AUTHORS,   AND 

Leonardo's  own  manuscripts. 


1452. 
IRTH    of    Leonardo,  according   to   local   archives.      His 
mother's  name  was  Caterina  Cattabriga  or  Accattabriga. 

1472.     , 
Leonardo's   name   is   inscribed    in    the    Red    Book    of 
Debtors  and  Creditors  of  the  Company  of  Painters.     This 
book  is  preserved  in  the  archives  of  the  Academy  of  Fine  Arts. 

1483. 

Up  to  this  year  Leonardo  dwelt  in  his  own  country.  He  painted  the 
"  Roundel,"  the  "  Madonna's  Head,"  the  "  Neptune  "  for  Antonio  Segni, 
and  the  cartoon  for  the  "  Adam  and  Eve." 

Leonardo  went  in  search  of  fortune  to  the  court  of  Lodovico  Sforza, 
called  II  Moro,  Regent  of  the  Duchy  of  Milan. 

1483-1489. 

He  painted  the  portraits  of  Cecilia  Gallerani  and  Lucrezia  Crivelli, 
mistresses  of  Lodovico  Sforza. 

Cecilia  was  the  wife  of  the  Count  Lodovico  Bergamino,  whose  portrait 
might  have  been  seen  during  the  last  century  in  the  possession  of  the 


CHRONOLOGY   OF  LEONARDO.  217 

Marquis  Boursana.  Another  portrait  of  Cecilia,  of  later  date,  was  found 
in  the  Pallavicini  Gallery  of  San  Calocero. 

Leonardo  removed,  by  means  of  an  ingenious  system  of  ropes,  the 
relics  of  St.  Clou,  under  the  last  arcade  of  the  Duomo  of  Milan. 

He  directed  the  fetes  and  spectacles  given  at  the  wedding  of  Jean 
Caleas  with  Isabella  of  Aragon. 

1490. 

Leonardo  superintended  the  fetes  and  ceremonies  at  the  marriage  of 
Lodovico  il  Moro  with  Beatrice  d'Este. 

He  founded  the  Academy  of  Milan.  The  authorities  at  Milan  do  not 
give  any  date  for  this  fact,  but  we  conjecture  that  the  above  may  be  the 
correct  one,  because  it  coincides  with  that  of  the  commencement  of  the 
"  Treatise  on  Light,"  which  is  an  educational  book. 

On  the  3rd  of  April  he  commenced  his  "  Treatise  on  Light  and 
Shadow,"  and  recommenced  the  modelling  of  the  equestrian  statue  of 
Francesco  Sforza. 

1492. 

He  arranged  the  tournay  festival  given  to  the  Duke  by  Galeas 
Sanseverino. 

He  made  studies  for  a  plan  to  render  the  canal  of  Martesana  from 
Trezza  to  Milan  navigable,  and  also  occupied  himself  in  designing  the 
embellishments  of  the  palace  of  Lodovico  il  Moro,  doing  the  painting 
himself;  and  in  constructing  a  bathing  saloon  for  the  Duchess  in  the  Park. 

He  painted  a  sacred  picture,  representing  the  Virgin  and  Child,  St. 
John  and  St,  Michael,  which  is  at  Parma,  in  San  Vitale. 

1493. 
He  worked  at  the  model  of  the  equestrian  statue  of  Francesco  Sforza, 

which  was  finished  in  this  year,  and  exhibited  to  public  view  beneath 

a  triumphal  arch  in  the  courtyard  of  the  palace,  on  the  occasion  of  the 

marriage  of  Bianca  Maria  Sforza,  niece  of  Lodovico  il  Moro,  with  the 

Emperor  Maximilian. 

1495- 
He   painted   the   portrait   of  Lodovico  il  Moro,  with    his   wife   and 
children,  upon  Calvary,  in  fresco,  on  the  walls  of  the  convent  of  Sta. 
Maria  delle  Grazie,  at  Milan. 


2i8  CHRONOLOGY   OF 

1496. 

He  drew  some  studies,  about  sixty  in  number,  for  the  treatise  on 
**  The  Divine  Proportion,"  composed  by  II  Frate  Luca  Paciolo,  pro- 
bably assisted  by  Leonardo,  and  published  in  1509. 

He  painted  a  picture  of  the  Nativity,  sent  as  a  present  to  the  Emperor 
Maximilian  by  Lodovico  il  Moro. 

He  worked  at  the  large  picture  of  the  "  Last  Supper  "  in  the  refectory 
of  the  Convent  of  Sta.  Maria  delle  Grazie. 

1498.  , 
He  was  among  the  number  of  poets  and  wits  who  frequented  the 
court  of  Lodovico  il  Moro.  Having  completed  the  painting  of  the 
"  Last  Supper,"  he  then  composed  a  work  on  local  movement,  having 
already  (according  to  Paciolo)  finished  his  book  on  "  Painting  and  the 
Motion  of  the  Human  Body." 

1499- 
He  received  from  Lodovico  Sforza  the  gift  of  seventeen  perches  of  a 

vineyard,  which  this  prince  had  bought  from  the  monks  of  San  Vittore, 

near  the  Vercellina  Gate. 

1 499- 1 500. 
Lodovico  il  Moro  having  been  sent  as  a  prisoner  to  France,  Leonardo 
da  Vinci   left   Milan   for   Florence,   accompanied   by  his   friend   Luca 
Paciolo. 

1500. 

The  model  for  the  equestrian  statue  of  Francesco  Sforza,  on  which  the 
artist  had  been  at  work  seventeen  years,  was  used  as  a  target  and 
shattered  to  pieces  by  the  Gascon  cross- bowmen  at  the  entry  of  the 
French  into  Milan. 

Leonardo  painted  the  portraits  of  Mona  Lisa,  called  "  La  Gioconda," 
"Ginevra,"  and  "Amerigo  Benci;"  and  contemplated  the  project  of 
rendering  the  Arno  navigable  from  Florence  to  Pisa. 

1502. 

Caesar  Borgia,  Duke  de  Valentinois,  appointed  Leonardo  architect  and 
engineer  in  general  to  the  castles  and  fortresses  of  the  Romagna. 

On  the  lOth  of  July,  Leonardo  was  at  Urbino,  where  he  designed  a 
dovecote,  a  staircase,  and  a  fortress.     On  the  ist  of  August  he  visited 


LEONARDO   DA     VINCI.  219 

Pesaro;   on   the  8th,   Rimini;   the    nth,  Cesena ;  and   on   the  6th  of 
September,  Cesanatico,  where  he  designed  the  gate. 

He  quitted  Emiha  to  return  to  Florence,  and  thence  he  made  another 
tour  through  the  central  parts  of  Tuscany. 

1503- 

On  the  23rd  of  January  Leonardo  was  summoned,  with  the  other  most 
eminent  artists  of  Florence,  to  give  his  advice  as  to  the  most  suitable 
place  on  which  to  erect  the  statue  of  "  David  "  by  Michael  Angelo. 

On  the  23rd  of  July  he  was  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Pisa,  occupied  in 
a  project  for  turning  the  course  of  the  Arno. 

1503-1504. 
He  is  mentioned  in  the  Debtor  and  Creditor  Book  of  the  Company  of 

Painters. 

1504. 
Death  of  Piero  da  Vinci,  father  of  Leonardo. 

1504-1505. 
Leonardo  made  the  sketch  for  the  "  Battle  of  Anghiari "  (Battle  of  the 
Standard)  in  competition  with  Michael  Angelo. 

1505. 
He  made  at  Florence  the  models  of  three  statues  to  be  placed  on  the 
northern  porch  of  the  Church  of  San  Giovanni ;  these  were  cast  in  bronze 
by  Francesco  Rustici. 

1507. 
Death  of  Francesco  da  Vinci,  Leonardo's  uncle.  Leonardo  commenced 
and  nearly  finished  two  Madonnas. 

In  the  month  of  August  of  this  year  he  went  back  to  Milan,  with  the 
title  of  Painter  to  the  King. 

1508. 
He  wrote  a  pamphlet  entitled  "  The  Canal  of  Martesana." 

1509. 

He  completed  the  quay  for  the  disembarkment  of  the  boats  from 
San  Cristoforo  to  Milan. 

He  was,  according  to  most  authorities,  engaged  to  arrange  the  fetes 
which  celebrated  the  entry  of  Louis  XH.  into  Milan,  and  it  is  probable 
that  he  then  made  the  portrait  of  Trivulzio,  mentioned  by  Lomazzo  in 
his  "  Treatise  on  Painting." 


220  CHRONOLOGY   OF   LEONARDO    DA     VINCL 

1511. 
He  was  at  Florence  about  a  lawsuit  which  had  sprung  up  between 
himself  and  his  brothers,  concerning  the  estates  of  their  late  uncle. 

1512. 
He  returned  to  Milan. 

1514- 

On  the  24th  of  September  he  left  for  Rome  with  Giovanni  (Beltraffio  T), 
Francesco  Melzi,  Lorenzo  (Lotto  .'*)  and  II  Taufoia. 

Called  to  Rome  from  Florence  by  Giulio  de'  Medici,  brother  of  Leo  X., 
to  assist  at  the  enthronement  of  that  Pope.  He  painted  at  Rome  two 
little  pictures  for  Baldassare  Turini,  of  Pescia ;  one  of  these  is  men- 
tioned in  the  catalogue  of  the  Diisseldorf  Gallery. 

1515. 
To  this  year,  according  to  Amoretti,  belongs  the  wonderful  story  of 
the  figure  of  a  lion  which  Leonardo  invented,  and,  by  an  ingenious  con- 
trivance, caused  to  walk  before  Francis  L  of  France,  and  to  stop  and 
open  its  breast,  which  was  filled  with  "  fleur  de  lis." 

1516. 
In  the  end  of  January  Leonardo  was  taken  into  France  by  Francis  I. 
in  the  quality  of  Painter  to  the  King,  with  a  salary  of  700  crowns  a  year. 

1518. 
On  the  1 8th  of  April  he  made  his  will  at  the  Castle  of  Cloux,  near 
Amboise. 

1518-1519. 
Leonardo  da  Vinci  died  on  the  2nd  of  May  in  this  year.     (That  is, 
nine  days  after  he  had  made  his  will.     The  year  then  began  at  Easter.) 


GENEALOGICAL    TABLE    OF    THE    FAMILY 

OF   DA   VINCI. 

Reprinted  from  U%ielWs  "  Ricerche  intorno  a 
Leonardo  da  Vinci.'' 


^:d2t> 


GENEALOGICAL  TABLE 
OF  THE  FAMILY  OF 


SeR  MlCHELEdk^ 
B.   . 
D.  . 

Ser  Guido,  notaryrffl 
B.  . 
D.  . 


Ser  Giovanni 

B.  .  .  . 

D.  .  .  . 

at  Barcelona. 


H 


DA    VINCI. 

Quartier  S.  Spirito. — Gonf alone  Drago. 


^-1  H  PiERO,  notarjifR' 
B.  .  ., 

D.   .    .. 

i 

Antoxk) 

B.   1371 
D.    .    .. 

Lucia  di  Piero  7x»k 

D.   .   .. 


ViOLANTE 
B.    .    .    . 
D.  .    .    . 

Antonio  da  Pistoia. 


1 

Francesco 
B-  1435. 
D.  i5o6(?) 
Alessandra  di . 


Sa 

'  'ai 

(4)  In 


LEONARDO 

B.   1452. 

natural  son  of  Caterina, 

afterwards  the  wife  of 

Accattabriga  di  Piero  del 

Vacca  di  Vinci. 

D.  May  2,  1519. 


Antonia  (3) 
B.  1476. 
D.  .  .  . 


Ser  Giuliano  (3) 
B.  1479. 

D.    .  .   . 

Alessandra  di  Giov. 

d'  Antonio  Dini 

Nov.  10,  1 5 14. 


Lorenzo  (3) 

B.  14S4 

D.  .  .  . 

Will  in  favour  of 

Domenico. 


ViOLANTE  (3) 
E.   1485. 
D.    .    .   . 


Domenico  (3)  ILi 
B.  i486. 
D.  .  .  . 


r- 


Maddalena      Costanza      Margherita 


ViOLANTE 
B.    .    .    . 
D.  .    .    . 

Piero  di  Ser 
Lorenzo  Coralmi. 


Alessandra 

B.  .  .  . 

D.  .  .  . 

Zanobi  di  Piero  del 

Mangano  1527. 


Lorenzo 
B.  .  .  . 

D.   .    .    . 


Antonio 
B.  .  .  . 
D.  .  .  . 


Piero 
B.  .  .  . 
D.  .  .  . 


Ltsui 

Ensign  a'CiT 

the  servtorfd 

of%. 


Giuseppe 
B.  .  .  . 
D.  .  .  . 


1 

Pier  Lorenzo 

B.  .  .  . 

D.  .  .  . 

Curate  of  S.  Rocco 

di  Larciano,  Diocese 

of  Pistoja. 


Stefano 
B.  .  .  . 
D.  .  .  . 


Lorenzo 
B.  1605. 

D.   .   .   . 

I 

Piero 
B.  1630. 
D.  .  .  . 

H 


GiovAN  Piero 
B.  1687. 

D.   .    .    . 


loou 
lit 

il. 

I 

Im 
I. 

&.. 

,  I 
mi 


Ser  Giuseppe 

Antonio 

B,  1726. 

i>.  iSoi. 

ViNcENzo  Leonardo 
B.  1 761. 
D.  1793. 


I  ■■-■ 

GlOVABi 
B.  . 

n.  .  . 


Note.-  In  this  table  are  omitted  women  of  the  thin!  and  subicquent 
generations  after  that  of  Leonardo. 


ary. 


■,  1339- 


,1381. 


reto. 


1  notary  of  Florence,  1484. 


Giovanni  Amadori,  married  in  1452. 

ii  Ser  Giuliano  Lanfredini,  married  in  1465. 

di  Francesco  di  Jacopo  di  Guglielmo. 

Guglielmo  Cortigiani. 


iiTA  (4)      Benedetto  (4)      Pandolfo  (4)       Guglielmo  (4)      Bartolommeo  (4) 
)i.  B.  1492.  B.  1494.  B.  1496.  B.  1497. 

D.    .    .    .  D.    .    .    .  D.    .    .    .  D.    .    .    . 

Marietta  di  Lionardo 
'    .  Buonaccorsi. 


Giovanni  (4) 
B.  .  .  . 
D. .  ,  . 


Clemenza 

B.    .    .    . 
D.    ,    ,    . 


Benedetto 
B.  .  .  . 

D.    .    .    . 


Alessandro        Piero 

B.    .    .    .  B.   .   .    . 

D.   .    .    .  D.  .    .    , 

Elisabetta  di 
Antonio  Cantucci 


Pier  Francesco,  called 
PIERINO   DA  VINCI 

B.   1520  (?) 

D-  1554  (?) 
in  Pisa,  aged  33. 


Giovanni  Piero  Antonio 

B.  .  ,  ,  B.  .  ,  .  B.  .  .  . 

^        D.  .  .  .  D.  .  .  .  D.  .  .  . 

(a  Neapolitan  branch) 


yo 


Guglielmo,  Father 
B.  1599. 

D.  1629. 

Will  in  favour  of  the 
Convent  of  Santa  Lucia 


Jacopo,  Capucin, 

called 

Fra  Tommaso 


1 

NiCCOLO 

-1 
Lorenzo 

B.    ,    .    . 

B.  .  .  . 

D.    .    .    . 

D.  .  .  . 

— 1 

.  Matteo 

1 

PlEB 

CO                       B. 

D 

r       ■■          -     -■., 
Giovan  Paolo           Valentino 

B.  1745. 

D. 1765. 

B.  1750. 
D.  1817. 

f- 

Anton  Giuseppe 

B.   .   .   . 
D.  .   .   . 



1 

Paolo  Maria 

B.  1778. 

D.  1840. 
L 

Antonio 

Settimio 

Tommaso 

B.    1782. 

B.    .    .   . 

B.  1820. 

D.  1804. 

D.  .    .    . 

d.  .  . . 

1 

Leonardo 

1                                   1 

Raffaello           Emilio 

LUIGI 

Gherardo 

1 
Angiolo 

B.  1845. 

1 

B.  1847.                      B. 

1850. 

B.   1854. 

B.   1862. 

B.    1868. 

1 
Paolo 

B.  1871. 

GENEALOGICAL  TABLE 
OF  THE  FAMILY  OF 


Ser  M. 


Ser  Guiij 


DA    VINCI. 

Quartier  S.  Spirito. — Go7if alone  Drago. 


I , 

Ser  Giovanni      Ser  Piei. 
B.  .  .  .  i 

D.  .  .  . 
at  Barcelona. 


Lucia  di 


Violante 

B.  .  .  . 

D.  .  .  . 

Antonio  da  Pistoia. 


Franceso 

B.  1435- 
D.  1506(1 
Alessandra  di 


LEONARDO 

B.    1452. 

natural  son  of  Caterina, 

afterwards  the  wife  of 

Accattabriga  di  Piero  del 

Vacca  di  Vinci. 

D.  May  2,  1 5 19. 


Antonia  (3) 
B.  1476. 
D.  .  .  . 


r- 


Maddalena      Costanza      Margherita 


Ser  Giuliano  (3) 

B.  1479. 

D.    .   .   . 

Alessandra  di  Giov. 

d'  Antonio  Dini 

Nov.  10,  1 5 14. 

I 

h 


1 

Lorenzo  (3) 

B.  1484. 

D.  .  .  . 

Will  in  favour  of 

Domenico. 


Violante  (3) 
e.  1485. 

D.    .    .    . 


DOMI 
B. 
D. 


Violante 
B.  .  .  . 

D.   ,    .    . 

Piero  di  Ser 
Lorenzo  Coralmi. 


Alessandra 

B.  .  ,  . 

D.  .  .  . 

Zanobi  di  Piero  del 

Mangano  1527. 


Lorenzo 
B.  .  ,  . 
D.  .  .  . 


Antonio 
B.  .  .  . 
D.  .  .  . 


Piero 


1-- 


I 1 1 

Giuseppe        Pier  Lorenzo        Stefano 
B.  .  .  .  B.  .  .  .  B.  .  .  . 

D.  .    .    .  D.  .   .   .  D.    .    .   . 

Curate  of  S.  Rocco 

di  Larciano,  Diocese 

of  Pistoja. 


Lorenzo 
B.  1605. 
D.  .  .  . 

I 
Piero 
B.  1630. 
D.  .  .  . 

H 


GiovAN  Piero 
B.  1687. 

D.   .    .    . 


h- 


Ser  Giuseppe 

Antonio 

B.  1726. 

D.  1801. 

I 
Vincenzo  Leonar 

B.  1761. 
D. 1793. 


Note.-  In  this  table  are  omitted  women  of  the  third  and  subsequent 
generations  after  that  of  Leonardo. 


"  LE  da  Vinci,  notary. 


^  otary  of  Florence,  1339. 


of  Florence,  1 381. 


NIO 


>i  da  Bacchereto. 


Ser  Piero,  notary  of  Florence,  1484. 

B.  1427. 

D.  1504. 

Albiera  di  Giovanni  Amadori,  married  in  1452. 
'  Francesca  di  Ser  Giuliano  Lanfredini,  married  in  1465, 
I  Margherita  di  Francesco  di  Jacopo  di  Guglielmo. 
I  Lucrezia  di  Guglielmo  Cortigiani. 


1 ' 

Margherita  (4) 
B.  1491. 
D.  .  .  . 


1 

'^NARDO 

f  Cavalry  in 
of  the  King 
Hungary. 


Bartolommeo 
B.  1608. 
D.  .  .  . 


Benedetto  (4) 
B.  1492. 
D.  .  .  . 


Pandolfo  (4)      Guglielmo  (4)      Bartolommeo  (4) 
B.  1494.  B.  1496.  B.  1497. 

D.    .    .    .  D.    .    .    .  D.    .    .    . 

Marietta  di  Lionardo 
Buonaccorsi. 


1 

Giovanni  (4) 
B.  .  .  . 
D. .  .  . 


Clemenza 
B.  .  .  . 

D.   .    .    . 


■ , 

Benedetto 
B.  .   .  . 
D.  .  .  . 


Alessandro 

B.    .    .    . 
d.  .   .   . 


1 

Giovanni 
B.  .  .  . 
D.  .  .  . 


! 

PlERO 
B.  .  .  , 
D.  .    .    . 


(a  Neapolitan  branch) 


Antonio 

B.  .  .  . 

D.  .  .  . 


PlERO 
B.  .  .  . 
D.  .    .    . 

Elisabetta  di 
Antonio  Cantucci 


Pier  Francesco,  called 
PIERINO   DA  VINCI 

B.   1520  (?) 

D.  1554  (?) 
in  Pisa,  aged  33. 


Guglielmo,  Father 
B.  1599. 

D.  1629. 

Will  in  favour  of  the 
Convent  of  Santa  Lucia 


Jacopo,  Capucin, 

called 

Fra  Tommaso 


Matted 
B.  .  .  . 
D.  .  .  . 

h 


DOMENICO 

B.  1684. 

D.  1752. 

I 


Niccolo 

B.    .   .   . 

D.   .    .   . 


1 

Lorenzo 
B.  .  .  . 
D.  .  .  . 


Nl 


DOMENICO 
B.   .   .  . 


Pier  Matted 
B.  .  .  . 
D.  .  .  . 


GiDVAN  Paolo 
B.  1745. 
D.  1765. 


1 

Valentino 

B.  1750. 

D.  1817. 


Anton  Giuseppe 
B.  .  .  . 
D.  .  .  . 


Paolo  Maria 
B.  1778. 
D.  1840. 
h 


Antonio 
B.  1782. 
D.  1804. 


Leonardo 
B.  1845. 

I 
Paolo 
B.  1871. 


Raffaello 

B.  1847. 


Emilio 

B.  1850. 


LUIGI 
B.  1854. 


Settimio 

B.    .   .   . 
D.  .   .    . 


1 

Tommaso 
B.  1820. 
D.  .  . . 


Gherardo 
B.  1862. 


Angiolo 

B.   1868. 


CATALOGUE  OF 


LEONARDO'S    PAINTINGS. 


Except  when  the  authority  is  named^  the  criticisms  contained  in  the  fol- 
lowing Catalogue  must  be  taken  as  tJie  opinions  of  M.  Arskne  Houssaye, 
from  whose  work  it  has  been  chiefly  compiled. 


HEAD     OF     AN     OLD     MAN     IN     PROFILE. 
From  a  drawing  in  the  Pitti  Gallery,  Florence. 


<^v 


V  v\ 


A  CLASSIFIED  AND  DESCRIPTIVE  CATALOGUE^ 

OF    THE    PRINCIPAL    PAINTINGS    OF 

LEONARDO    DA    VINCI. 

Part  I. 
HOLY  FAMILY— MADONNA— CHRIST. 


I. 

The  Baptism  of  Christ. 
In  the  Gallery  of  the  Academy  of  Fine  Arts,  Florence. 

•EONARDO  DA  VINCI  painted  nothing  more  than  the 
angel  in  this  picture,  which  was  the  composition  of  his 
master,  Andrea  Verocchio.  Tradition  affirms  that  this 
was  the  last  work  ever  executed  by  Andrea,  for  that,  on 
seeing  the  angel  painted  by  his  pupil,  he  threw  down  his 
palette  for  ever. 

Verocchio  drew  correctly,  but  his  figures  are  stiff  and  spiritless ;  the 
angel  of  Leonardo  has  been  aptly  termed  a  "  brilliant  stain  "  on  his  pic- 
ture— a  ray  of  sunlight  on  a  faded  page. 

Engraved  in  Rosini's  "  Storia  della  Pittura  Italiana." 

*  Compiled  chiefly  from  the  Appendix  to  the  "Histoire  de  Leonard  de 
Vinci  "  by  M.  Arsene  Houssaye  ;  and  "  Essai  d'un  Catalogue  des  (Euvres 
DE  Leonard  de  Vinci  "  by  Dr.  Rigollot. 


228  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI. 

2. 

Madonna  of  Vaprio. 

Painted  in  fresco  on  a  Wall. 

Leonardo  lived  at  Vaprio  for  four  years  in  a  house  near  the  Adda,  the 
neighbour  of  his  landlord  Melzi,  who  dwelt  in  the  adjoining  villa.  On 
the  wall  overlooking  the  court-yard  of  this  villa  is  painted  a  picture  of 
the  Madonna  and  Infant  Saviour.  It  is  of  colossal  size,  the  head  of  the 
Virgin  being  not  less  than  six  pahni,  or  about  four  feet  six  inches,  in 
height.  In  the  year  1796  some  soldiers  of  the  Republic  bivouacked  in 
this  court,  lit  a  fire  against  the  wall  of  Leonardo's  house,  and  blackened 
the  fresco  like  the  funnel  of  a  chimney.  The  heads,  fortunately,  were 
comparatively  uninjured.     The  whole  has  since  been  repainted. 

Passavant  believes  that  Leonardo  made  the  cartoon  for  this  picture,  but 
that  the  fresco  itself  was  the  work  of  Francesco  Melzi.  We  may  conclude, 
however,  that  Leonardo  did  more  than  the  sketch.  The  Virgin  has  a  beau- 
tiful though  severe  countenance,  and  the  Child  wears  that  smile  of 
gracious  expression  which  Leonardo,  and  perhaps  he  alone,  knew  how  to 
represent. 

Engraved  in  Fumagalli's  "  Scuola  di  Leonardo." 

3. 

The  Virgin  among  the  Rocks.    {La  Vierge  aux  Rockers.) 

In  the  Gallery  of  the  Louvre. 

This  is  possibly  a  copy.  Waagen  says  that  this  painting  cannot  have 
been  the  work  of  Leonardo,  "for,  in  opposition  to  the  remarkable  and 
poetical  style  of  composition,  characterizing  the  epoch  when  the  talents 
of  this  painter  had  attained  their  highest  perfection,  there  are  certain 
parts,  such  as  the  heads  of  the  angel  and  of  the  Virgin,  which  are  without 
expression,  and  display  a  surprising  feebleness  of  design  ;  the  folds  of  the 
drapery,  moreover,  have  a  false  and  stiff  appearance." 

M.  Passavant  hazards  the  following  conjecture  :  "  We  cannot  suppose 
that  Leonardo  was  content  with  executing  merely  the  sketch  for  this 
composition :  we  believe  that  a  picture,  formerly  in  the  Chapel  of  the 


CLASSIFIED    CATALOGUE    OF  PAINTINGS.  229 

Conception  in  the  Church  of  the  Franciscans  at  Milan,  which  is  men- 
tioned in  the  'Treatise  on  Painting/  by  Lomazzo  (p.  17 1-2 12),  and  also 
in  the  *  Passeghi  de  Scanelli  et  Lormanni/  (175 1,  Milan),  and  which  was 
sold  in  1796  for  thirty  ducats  to  the  painter  Hamilton  because  it  was 
thought  to  be  a  copy,  was  really  by  Leonardo  himself  It  afterwards 
passed  into  the  collection  of  the  Duke  of  Suffolk  ;  two  angels  which  were 
formerly  at  either  side  of  the  principal  picture  are  at  present  in  the  gal- 
lery of  the  Duke  de  Melzi,  and  attest  by  their  brilliancy  the  authenticity 
of  the  work  of  which  they  once  formed  a  part.  The  picture  in  the 
Louvre  is  doubtless  a  copy." 

The  Duke  of  Devonshire  possesses  a  drawing  of  very  great  beauty, 
representing  a  head  of  the  Virgin  with  her  hair  falling  on  both  sides  of 
the  face,  which  is  turned  a  little  to  the  right.  On  the  same  page  is  a 
head  of  the  Holy  Child,  three  quarters  seen.  These  two  studies  are  in 
black  chalk,  relieved  with  white,  on  blue  paper.  M.  Passavant,  who  has 
given  this  description,  adds  :  "  This  drawing,  of  extraordinary  beauty  and 
well  preserved,  appears  to  be  a  study  for  the  *  Vierge  aux  Rochers ' 
of  the  Louvre." 

In  the  Museum  at  Nantes  there  is  a  duplicate  of  the  "Vierge  aux 
Rochers"  (No.  199),  and  the  catalogue  affirms  that  it  is  the  original:  this 
statement  cannot  be  depended  on. 

"  The  aspect  of  the  Virgin  in  the  *  Vierge  aux  Rochers,' "  says  Theo- 
phile  Gautier,  "  is  mysterious  and  charming.  A  grotto  of  basaltic  rocks 
shelters  the  divine  group,  who  are  sitting  on  the  margin  of  a  clear  spring, 
in  the  transparent  depths  of  which  we  see  the  pebbles  of  its  bed.  Through 
the  arcade  of  the  grotto,  we  discover  a  rocky  landscape,  with  a  few 
scattered  trees,  and  crossed  by  a  stream,  on  the  banks  of  which  rises  a 
village.  All  this  is  of  a  colour  as  indefinable  as  those  mysterious 
countries  one  traverses  in  a  dream,  and  accords  marvellously  with  the 
figures.  What  more  adorable  type  than  that  of  the  Madonna!  it  is 
especially  Leonardo's ;  and  does  not  in  any  way  recall  the  Virgins 
of  Perugino  or  Raphael.  Pier  head  is  spherical  in  form ;  the  forehead 
well-developed ;  the  fine  oval  of  her  cheeks  is  gracefully  rounded  so 
as  to  enclose  a  chin  most  delicately  curved ;  the  eyes  with  lowered 
eyelids  encircled  with  shadow,  and  the  nose,  not  in  a  line  with  the 
forehead,  like  that  of  a  Grecian  statue,  but  still  finely  shaped ;  with 
nostrils  tenderly  cut,  and  trembling,  as  though  her  breathing  made  them 


230  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI. 

palpitate ;  the  mouth  a  little  large,  it  is  true,  but  smiling  with  a 
deliciously  enigmatic  expression  that  Da  Vinci  gives  to  his  female  faces, 
a  tiny  shade  of  mischief  mingling  with  the  purity  and  goodness.  The 
hair  is  long,  loose,  and  silky,  and  falls  in  crisp  meshes  around  the 
shadow-softened  cheeks,  according  with  the  half-tints  with  incomparable 
grace." 

This  picture  was  formerly  in  the  possession  of  Francis  I.  It  was 
originally  painted  on  wood,  but  was  transferred  to  canvas  some  years 
since,  and  has  been  re-touched  to  such  an  extent  that,  at  first  sight,  it  is 
difficult  to  pronounce  any  opinion  upon  it. 

In  the  Exhibition  of  Works  of  the  Old  Masters  at  the  Royal  Academy 
in  1870,  the  Earl  of  Suffolk  exhibited  his  "Vierge  aux  Rochers,"  which 
Waagen  says  is  "  most  probably  the  original." 

Engraved  in  line  by  Desnoyers.     {See  Photograph^ 

4. 

The  Virgin  seated  on  the  knees  of  St.  Anne. 

In  the  Gallery  of  the  Louvre. 

"  In  the  picture  of  the  Virgin  seated  on  the  knees  of  St.  Anne," — we 
quote  Th^ophile  Gautier, — "  the  shadows  are  more  subdued  than  in  *  La 
Vierge  aux  Rochers;'  the  painter  has  certainly  not  employed  in  this 
picture  that  dark  tint  which  has  marred  his  other  paintings;  the 
colouring  is  lighter  and  cooler.  In  a  landscape  strewn  with  rocks  and 
little  trees,  of  which  you  may  count  the  leaves,  St.  Anne  holds  on  her  knees 
the  Virgin,  who  gracefully  leans  towards  the  infant  Jesus.  The  Child 
is  playing  with  a  little  lamb,  which  He  holds  gently  by  the  ear,  with  a 
charmingly  infantile  action  which  takes  nothing  from  the  nobility  of  the 
composition.  A  few  slight  lines  cross  the  forehead  and  cheeks  of  St. 
Anne,  but  do  not  detract  from  her  beauty ;  for  Leonardo  shrank  from 
the  representation  of  sadness,  and  would  not  afflict  the  eye  by  a  spectacle 
of  decrepitude.  The  head  of  the  Virgin  is  exquisitely  fine  in  outline ; 
her  face  beams  with  virginal  grace  and  maternal  love;  her  eyes  are 
bathed  in  tenderness,  and  her  half  smiling  mouth  has  that  indefinable 
expression  of  which  Leonardo  alone  knew  the  secret." 

M.  Taine  also  speaks  of  this  painting,  giving  us,  as  it  were,  a  page  of 


CLASSIFIED    CATALOGUE    OF  PAINTINGS.  231 

music:  "  In  the  little  Jesus  of  the  picture  of  St.  Anne,  a  shoulder,  a  cheek, 
a  temple,  alone  emerge  from  the  shadowy  depth.  Leonardo  da  Vinci 
was  a  great  musician.  Perhaps  he  found  in  that  gradation  and  change 
of  colour,  in  that  vague  yet  charming  magic  of  chiaroscuro,  an  effect  re- 
sembling the  crescendos  and  decrescendos  of  grand  musical  works." 

The  authenticity  of  this  picture  has  often  been  called  in  question. 
Waagen  attributes  it  to  a  pupil  of  Leonardo,  "so  much,"  he  says,  "is 
the  usual  smile  of  his  figures  here  exaggerated  and  affected."  Rosini 
says  that  it  may  be  the  work  of  Salai",  but  that  it  had  perhaps  been 
re-touched  by  Leonardo,  unless,  indeed,  it  be  by  Bernardino  de  Luini. 
M.  Delecluze  is  of  the  same  opinion  as  M.  Rosini.  Passavant,  however, 
affirms  that  it  is  an  original  picture,  for,  says  he,  "  none  of  the  pupils  of 
Leonardo  had  a  touch  so  spiritual,  or  that  firmness  of  expression  so 
much  to  be  admired  in  this  work." 

There  are  many  existing  copies ;  the  greater  number  of  which  have 
claimed  to  be  the  original,  but  it  is  acknowledged  now  that  many  of 
these  are  much  inferior  to  the  painting  in  the  Louvre.  Even  though  the 
blue  garment  of  the  Virgin  is  effaced,  though  the  left  leg  has  certainly 
been  re-painted,  yet  we  think  this  is  the  work  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  or 
else  a  masterpiece  by  Bernardino  de  Luini. 

A  sketch  for  this  picture,  according  to  M.  RigoUot,  is  in  the  collection 
belonging  to  the  Plattenberg  family,  in  Westphalia.  Among  the  copies 
may  be  cited :  one  which  was  for  some  time  in  the  collection  at  the 
sacristy  of  San  Celso  at  Milan,  but  is  now  in  the  Leuchtenberg  Gallery 
at  Munich.  It  is  by  Salai' ;  D'Argenville  has,  however,  attributed  it  to 
Leonardo  himself.  Another,  which  is  in  the  Royal  Gallery  at  Florence, 
the  Catalogue  of  1844  attributes  to  Salai.  This  was  bought  at  Vienna, 
according  to  Lanzi,  by  the  Grand-Duke  of  Tuscany,  Ferdinand  III. 
Viardot,  speaking  of  another  copy  at  the  Ambrosian  Library  at  Milan, 
gives  it  as  his  opinion  that  it  is  by  Luini.  Kugler  mentions  one  in  the 
Brera  Gallery ;  "  it  is,"  says  he,  "  the  work  of  Andrea  Salaino,  for  one 
can  recognize  the  hand  of  this  master  by  the  warm  and  transparent  red 
of  his  flesh-tints." 

The  Royal  Museum  of  Madrid  also  possesses  a  copy,  or  a  sketch  of 
an  inferior  kind,  of  the  St.  Anne  of  the  Louvre. 

Engraved  by  Langier ;  by  Cantini ;  and  in  Landon's  "  Vies  et  CEuvres 
des  Peintres."     {See  Photograph) 


232  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI. 

The  Holy  Family  of  St.  Petersburg. 
In  the  Gallery  of  the  Hermitage. 
The  history  of  this  picture  reads  like  an  old  legend.  Amoretti,  the  Abb6 
Lanzi,  and  M.  de  Gallenberg  all  repeat  the  same  story.  The  painting 
was  lost  when  the  palace  of  the  Dukes  of  Mantua  was  pillaged  by  the 
Germans.  It  disappeared  for  a  long  time,  and  at  length  fell  into  the 
possession  of  the  Abb6  Salvadori,  one  of  the  secretaries  of  the  Count 
Firmian.  Salvadori  also  concealed  the  picture,  believing  that  the  Count, 
who  was  Governor  of  Mantua,  would  make  him  return  it  to  the  palace 
whence  it  had  been  stolen.  After  the  death  of  Salvadori,  the  picture 
was  sent  to  the  village  of  Mori,  in  the  Trent  district,  where  it  was  sold 
by  the  heirs  of  the  Abbe  to  the  agents  of  Catherine  II. 

Passavant  says  of  this  picture  that  "  all  those  who  have  seen  it  in  the 
Gallery  of  the  Hermitage  are  convinced  that  it  is  a  superb  work,  worthy 
of  the  great  Florentine  master." 

Pagavi  thought  it  so  beautiful,  and  so  nearly  like  the  work  of  Raphael, 
that  he  marked  it  with  the  monogram  of  Leonardo,  in  order  to  prevent 
its  being  attributed  to  the  Prince  of  Painters. 

Henri  Beyle  likewise  speaks  of  this  painting  with  enthusiasm,  saying 
that  "  Leonardo  never  painted  anything  better  or  more  sublime." 

There  is  also  a  long  description  of  it  in  the  "  Histoire  de  la  Peinture 
en  Italic  "  by  the  same  author.  "  Mary,"  he  says,  "  is  seen  full-face ;  she 
gazes  on  her  son  with  pride,  and  is  one  of  the  grandest  figures  of  the 
mother  of  our  Saviour  that  was  ever  painted  ;  the  Child,  full  of  gaiety 
and  life,  embraces  her ;  behind  them,  to  the  left  of  the  spectator,  is  a 
young  woman  reading.  This  figure  is  frequently  named  St.  Catherine, 
but  it  is  probably  the  portrait  of  the  sister-in-law  of  Leo  X.,  wife  of 
Giulio  de'  Medici,  to  whom  she  was  married  in  January,  1 5 1 5  ;  this  pic- 
ture being,  according  to  Beyle,  of  a  date  subsequent  to  that  event.  On 
the  opposite  side  is  St.  Joseph,  whose  head  is  the  most  original  one  in  the 
picture ;  he  looks  down  smilingly  upon  the  Holy  Child  with  a  graceful 
expression  of  playful  humour.  This  is  Leonardo's  own  idea  ;  for  it  was 
far  from  the  spirit  of  that  age  to  introduce  any  gaiety  into  a  sacred 
subject ;  in  this  respect  he  was  the  precursor  of  Correggio." 

M.  Viardot,  on  the  contrary,  says,  in  his  "  Musses  d'Allemagne  et  de 


CLASSIFIED    CATALOGUE    OF   PAINTINGS,  233 

Russe,"  that  this  is  "  a  defective  work,  in  which  two  women,  Mary  and 
Catherine,  are  drawn  one  above  another,  where  all  is  ugly,  ungraceful, 
and  grotesque  ( ! )." 

Kugler  indicates  many  copies  or  replicas  of  this  "  Holy  Family."  The 
best  known  is  the  "  Vierge  au  Bas-relief,"  in  the  possession  of  Lord 
Monson  ;  others  are  in  England  or  Milan. 

The  St.  Petersburg  picture  bears  the  signature  "  L.  D.  V."  ;  this  alone 
would  not  prove  it  to  be  the  work  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  were  the  touch 
of  the  master  not  otherwise  plainly  visible  on  this  beautiful  painting. 

Engraved  in  the  "Galerie  de  1' Hermitage,  avec  descriptions,"  by 
Camille  de  Geneve. 

6. 

The  Infant  Jesus. 
At  Bologna. 

Vasari  speaks  of  a  picture  of  the  Holy  Child,  that  Leonardo  painted 
for  Baldassare  Turini.  It  is,  perhaps,  this  statement  of  Vasari  that  has 
caused  Lanzi  to  cite  as  authentic,  "  a  Child  Jesus  lying  in  a  rich  cradle, 
ornamented  with  pearls,  which  is  at  Bologna,  in  the  apartments  of  the 
Gonfaloniere  at  the  palace." 

This  picture  exhibits  the  Holy  Infant  clothed,  with  the  exception  of 
the  head,  which  is  crowned  with  light,  and  recalls  the  luminous  effect  of 
the  portrait  of  Lucrezia  Crivelli  in  the  Louvre. 

Henri  Beyle  says  that  he  believes  it  to  be  by  Leonardo,  but  in  his 
early  manner ;  he  adds  that  it  shows  nothing  of  his  customary  style. 
According  to  Vasari,  this  Holy  Child  was  "  marvellously  beautiful  and 
graceful." 

7- 

Christ  Disputing  with  the  Doctors. 

In  the  National  Gallery^  London. 

This  picture,  which  formerly  belonged  to  the  Carr  Collection,  was 
originally  the  property  of  the  Aldobrandini  family.  Its  authenticity 
has  been  much  disputed.  RigoUot  is  of  opinion  that  Leonardo  made 
the  original  drawing,  but  that  the  picture  itself  was  painted  by  Ber- 
nardino Luini.  Other  critics  agree  in  assigning  the  work  to  this  distin- 
guished pupil  of  Leonardo. 


234  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI. 

In  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries,  scholars  followed  closely  on 
the  steps  of  their  instructors.  It  was  not  until  after  the  publication  of 
the  Abbe  Lanzi's  "  Storia  Pittorica  "  that  we  began  to  concern  ourselves 
much  with  many  painters  of  the  second  order,  the  names,  the  merits, 
and  the  works  of  whom  he  revealed.  He  it  was  who  first  restored  to 
fame  Luini,  Salai",  Solario,  Oggione,  Cesare  da  Sesto,  Beltraffio,  and  other 
pupils  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci. 

"  We  have  now,"  says  Waagen,  "  learned  how  to  detect  the  peculiari- 
ties of  each  of  these  artists,  and  in  what  authentic  work  of  Leonardo 
can  be  found  that  warm  flesh  tint  so  brilliant  in  all  its  parts,  and  those 
local  tints  of  blue  and  red  draperies,  so  pure,  so  uniform,  and  so  well 
painted  }  But  however  beautiful  may  be  the  features  of  Christ,  although 
they  recall  in  general  the  well-known  type  of  the  school  of  Leonardo, 
although  there  is  a  slight  tinge  of  melancholy,  the  face  lacks  that  depth 
of  character,  that  grandeur,  which  Leonardo  usually  imprinted  on  his 
works.  The  composition  and  the  drawing  are  much  too  feeble  to  be 
his  work,  if  indeed  it  could  be  recognised  through  the  unfortunate  re- 
storations which  this  picture  has  undergone.  The  forehead,  the  cheeks, 
and  the  hands  of  Christ  have  above  all  suffered  from  the  method  of 
Italian  restorers,  which  consists  in  retouching  the  flesh  tints  with  a 
coloured  varnish  :  a  process  which  may  satisfy  the  uncritical  crowd,  but 
which  vexes  the  true  connoisseur,  who  seeks  in  vain  for  the  original 
touch  of  the  painter's  pencil." 

D'Agincourt  says  that  though  this  picture  has  been  attributed  to 
Bernardino  Luini,  he  believes  it  to  be  really  Leonardo's.  In  his 
"  Histoire  de  I'Art "  he  thus  speaks  of  it : — "The  subject  of  this  painting 
is  confused  and  badly  arranged  ;  the  figures  are  half  length.  The 
Saviour  is  represented  with  his  face  towards  us ;  his  expression  is  sweet 
and  noble,  but  rather  feminine,  in  spite  of  his  growing  beard  ;  he  wears  a 
garment  of  silk  covered  with  jewels." 

In  the  opinion  of  Herr  Passavant,  "  This  splendid  picture  is  most 
carefully  finished,  and  in  parts  finely  coloured,  especially  the  hands  of 
the  Christ ;  it  is  in  good  preservation,  apparently  one  of  Leonardo's  later 
productions,  more  fulness  and  roundness  of  form  being  perceptible  than 
in  his  earlier  works.  The  colours  are  also  laid  on  in  full  body,  although 
with  much  tenderness." 

A  fine  copy  of  this  picture  is  in  the  Spada  Palace  at  Rome. 


CLASSIFIED    CATALOGUE    OF  PAINTINGS.  23s 

Engraved  by  Felsing ;  by  Ghigi ;  by  Leonelli  ;  and  in  Landon's  "  Vies 
et  GEuvres  des  Peintres."     {See  Photograph.) 

8. 

Christ  Bearing  His  Cross. 

In  the  possession  of  Sir  Thomas  Proctor  Beauchamp. 

This  painting  was  shown  at  the  Exhibition  of  Works  of  the  Old  Masters 
at  the  Royal  Academy  in  187 1. 

9- 
Heads  of  Christ. 

In  his  ''Catalogue  of  the  King's  Pictures"  (Paris,  1754),  L6pici6 
mentions  a  half-length  figure  of  Christ,  carrying  the  globe  in  His  left 
hand  and  in  the  attitude  of  blessing  it  with  His  right.  He  notes  this 
as  being  very  feeble.  This  picture  was  etched  by  Wenceslaus  Hollar,  in 
1650.  The  "  Magasin  Pittoresque"  of  the  year  1849  published  a  wood- 
engraving  of  it  after  a  drawing  by  Granville.  A  notice  by  M.  de 
Chenevieres-Pointel  accompanies  this  engraving. 

M.  Passavant  states  that  he  found  several  different  heads  or  busts  of 
Christ  in  profile,  either  bearing  the  cross  or  holding  the  globe  :  but 
he  considers  these  as  nothing  more  than  the  productions  of  Leonardo's 
pupils. 

Engraved  also  by  Felsing. 

"Never,"  says  M.  G.  d'Adda  {Gazette  des  Beaux- Arts,  August,  1868), 
"  has  sentiment  inspired  by  dignity  and  truth  of  religion  been  carried 
farther  than  in  the  head  of  Christ  in  the  Gallery  of  the  Brera."  Must 
we  apply  to  this  also  the  decision  of  M.  Passavant,  just  quoted,  that  all 
the  heads  of  Christ  attributed  to  Leonardo  are  the  work  of  his  pupils  } 
Gault  de  St.-Germain  mentions  a  head  of  the  Saviour  as  being  in  the 
possession  of  Prince  Lichtenstein,  at  Vienna,  which  is  regarded  by 
Winckelmann  as  one  of  the  most  remarkable  productions  of  genius, 
a  sublime  work  of  the  highest  type  of  manly  beauty. 

In  the  Cathedral  at  Antwerp  is  a  head  of  Christ,  attributed  to 
Leonardo ;  we  know  not  on  what  authority. 


236  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI. 

lO. 

The  Madonna  of  Lucca. 

In  the  Casa  Buonvisi  at  Lucca. 

This  small  picture  is  regarded  as  a  very  early  work  of  Leonardo's, 
and,  according  to  Beyle,  in  his  first  style.  M.  de  Rumohr,  in  his  "  Italie- 
nische  Forschungeft"  says,  "  Here  may  be  found  traces  of  those  strivings 
after  intense  expression  so  peculiar  to  this  master  ;  and  at  the  same 
time  a  certain  similarity  to  the  Florentine  painters  of  the  time  of 
Ghirlandajo." 

II. 

The  Virgin  of  San  Onofrio. 

In  the  Convent  of  San  Onofrio,  at  Rome. 

D'Agincourt  mentions  this  picture  as  being  painted  in  fresco  on  a 
window  frame  of  the  Convent  of  San  Onofrio.  The  Virgin  is  represented 
holding  a  flower,  which  she  offers  to  the  infant  Jesus.  It  has  been 
restored  by  Palmaroli,  on  a  gold  background.  A  bust  seen  behind  is 
supposed  by  d'Agincourt  to  represent  the  donor. 

As  far  as  can  be  judged,  after  the  repainted  portions  of  Palmaroli 
and  the  marks  left  by  time,  this  picture  much  resembles  in  subject,  and 
even  in  execution,  the  works  of  Lorenzo  di  Credi,  one  of  Leonardo's 
fellow-students.  But  M.  Rumohr  concludes  that  "it  is  a  work  of 
Leonardo's  youth,  done  during  his  sojourn  at  Rome,  before  leaving  it  for 
the  court  of  Lodovico  Sforza,  at  Milan."  If,  however,  Leonardo  did 
not  go  to  Rome,  for  the  first  time,  earlier  than  15 14,  this  fresco  would, 
according  to  chronology,  be  a  work  of  his  "  third  epoch,"  which  would 
seem  more  than  doubtful. 

12. 

The  Cartoon  of  St.  Anne. 

In  the  Royal  Academy  of  Arts ,  London. 

The  early  history  of  this  Cartoon  is  much  complicated.  Vasari  re- 
counts many  details,  and  describes  the  work  with  great  admiration,  at 
some  length,  but,  after  Vasari,  a  cloud  hangs  over  its  history.  Lanzi 
believes  that  it  was  lost ;  Lomazzo,  in  his  "  Trattato  della  Pittura,"  says 


CLASSIFIED    CATALOGUE    OF  PAINTINGS.  237 

that  it  may  be  found  in  the  possession  of  the  painter  Aurelio  Laurino, 
at  Milan,  after  it  had  been  seen  in  France. 

In  any  case,  the  description  Vasari  has  left  us  closely  corresponds  with 
the  picture  in  London ;  which  does  full  justice  to  the  genius  of  the 
master,  who  has  stamped  this  work  with  the  imprint  of  his  power.  "  It 
excited,"  says  Vasari,  "  general  admiration  when  it  was  exhibited  in 
Florence,  in  the  year  1 502."  It  is  a  drawing  in  black  and  white  chalk  ; 
the  heads  are  rather  less  than  life  size  ;  the  perfection  of  the  design  is 
admirable,  though  incomplete ;  the  extremities  and  the  drapery  of  the 
Virgin  are  scarcely  indicated  ;  and  the  whole  work  is  much  faded. 

The  Virgin  holds  the  Infant  Christ  upon  her  knees,  and  the  child  is 
gazing  at  the  little  St.  John  playing  with  a  lamb.  St.  Anne,  seated 
by  the  side  of  the  Virgin,  is  looking  at  her  daughter  with  ecstasy, 
while  with  her  left  hand  she  points  heavenward.  "  Her  smile,"  says 
Vasari,  "  indicates  the  excess  of  her  joy  in  seeing  her  offspring  raised  to 
celestial  rank." 

Herr  Passavant  says,  "  This  is  a  unique  and  beautiful  cartoon. 
Through  what  various  hands  it  passed,  previous  to  its  arrival  in 
England,  I  have  not  been  able  to  discover.  It  is  now  treated  as  a  pre- 
cious relic,  and  kept  under  glass  in  the  keeper's  room.  It  is  drawn  in 
black  chalk  and  highly-finished.  In  style  of  treatment,  as  far  as 
regards  a  greater  attention  to  effect  of  light  than  to  strict  symmetry  of 
form,  it  resembles  the  sketch  of  the  Adoration  of  the  Kings  in  the 
Florence  Gallery.     It  is  in  good  preservation." 

Engraved  by  Anker  Smith.     {See  Photograph  from  the  original^ 

13- 

The  Virgin  of  Munich. 

In  the  Pinacothek. 

Vasari  recounts  that  he  saw  at  the  house  of  Signor  Giulio  Torini  a 
small  picture  by  Leonardo,  "  representing  the  Madonna  with  her  son  in 
her  arms."  This  had  been  painted  with  extreme  care,  but  was  already 
much  altered.  Leonardo  is  said  to  have  painted  it  while  at  Peschia, 
when  on  his  way  from  Milan  to  Rome,  for  Signor  Baldassare  Torini,  for 
whom  also  he  executed  an  Infant  Christ  of  marvellous  beauty  and 
grace. 


238  LEONARDO    DA    VINCI. 

It  has  been  suggested  that  this  description  probably  refers  to  the  pic- 
ture now  numbered  567,  in  the  Pinacothek  at  Munich,  in  which  the 
Virgin,  seated  in  an  open  cave,  surrounded  by  a  landscape,  holds  with 
her  right  arm  the  infant,  who  is  couching  by  her  side  beneath  her 
mantle.     It  much  resembles  the  "  Vierge  aux  Rochers  "  of  the  Louvre. 

In  his  book  on  "I'Art  en  Allemagne,"  M.  Fortoul  mentions  this  pic- 
ture ;  he  attributes  it  to  Leonardo,  and  extols  its  "  dehcious  colouring  ; " 
a  praise  which  some  may  think  calculated  rather  to  cast  a  doubt  on  its 
authenticity. 

14. 

The  Virgin  "au  Bas-relief." 

Formerly  Lord  Monson'Sy  now  in  tJte  possession  of  the  Countess  of 
Warwick,  at  Gatton  Park. 

This  Holy  Family,  which  appears  to  be  nearly  a  repetition  of  the 
picture  at  the  Hermitage,  was,  in  1835,  the  property  of  Mr.  Woodburn, 
a  picture-dealer  in  London,  who  sold  it  to  Lord  Monson.  M.  Passavant 
says  of  this  picture,  "  it  is  one  of  the  best-preserved  works  of  Leonardo  ; 
the  drawing  is  exquisite,  and  the  colours  still  fresh  :  it  is  altogether  an 
admirable  and  original  picture."  Other  critics,  however,  decline  to 
regard  it  as  undoubtedly  authentic,  and  suggest  that  it  may  be  an 
extremely  skilful  copy  of  a  sketch  by  Leonardo.  The  figures  are 
rounded,  the  tones  warm  yet  brilliant,  but  the  expressions  of  the 
countenances  are  not  quite  those  associated  with  Leonardo's  style. 

This  group  is  composed  of  the  Virgin,  the  infant  Jesus,  the  youthful 
St.  John,  Joseph,  and  Zacharias. 

At  Milan,  in  the  gallery  of  the  Duke  de  Melzi,  there  is  a  Holy 
Family  comprising  the  same  personages.  It  is  attributed  to  Cesare  da 
Sesto,  whose  "  Adoration  of  the  Magi,"  in  the  gallery  at  Naples,  has  also 
for  its  principal  group  a  Holy  Family  much  resembling  it. 

The  collection  of  Cardinal  Feschi  contains  another  copy  of  this  pic- 
ture, which  is  generally  known  as  the  "  Vierge  au  Bas-relief,"  although 
the  bas-relief  from  which  the  name  is  taken  is  nothing  more  than  one  of 
the  smaller  accessories. 

In  the  Fitz- William  Museum,  there  is  a  fiine  copy,  on  a  reduced  scale. 

Engraved  by  Forster. 


CLASSIFIED    CATALOGUE    OF   PAINTINGS. 


15. 

The  Holy  Family  of  Madrid. 

We  owe  our  acquaintance  with  this  picture,  this  "famous  work,"  to 
M.  Viardot,  who,  in  his  book,  "  Musses  d'Espagne,  d'Angleterre  et  de 
Belgique,"  has  spoken  of  this  Holy  Family  in  terms  of  exaggerated 
laudation. 

The  solidity  and  the  perfect  preservation  so  especially  dwelt  on  by  M. 
Viardot  tend  to  cast  a  doubt  on  the  originality  of  this  picture  ;  Leo- 
nardo's paintings  are  not  usually  either  solid  or  in  good  preservation. 

M.  Kugler  has  not  mentioned  it  in  his  catalogue  of  the  principal 
works  in  the  "  Museo  del  Rey,"  included  in  volume  ii.  of  his  "  Hand- 
buch  der  Geschichte  der  Malerei." 

M.  Viardot  says  that  this  "  Holy  Family  "  is  painted  in  the  manner 
of  "  Modesty  and  Vanity,"  in  the  Sciarra  Palace,  which  latter  picture  he 
also  highly  praises.  However,  M.  de  Rumohr  attributes  the  work  in 
question  to  Sala'f,  and  Fumagalli  believes  it  to  have  been  painted  by 
Luini. 

16. 

The  Virgin  of  the  Esterhazy  Gallery. 

The  Virgin  in  this  painting  is  between  St.  Catherine  and  St.  Barbara, 
and  supports  in  her  arms  the  Holy  Child,  who  is  looking  at  a  book  on 
the  table  before  Him.  M.  Passavant  says  "  that  it  is  agreed  to  attribute 
it  to  Luini." 

The  group  is  shown  at  half  length,  and,  according  to  M.  Viardot, 
recalls  the  Holy  Family  of  Madrid,  which  he  considers  it  nearly  equals 
in  importance  and  beauty.  He  goes  on,  however,  to  point  out  that  the 
heads  of  the  three  women  singularly  resemble  each  other,  and  are  of  the 
same  type,  scarcely  varied. 

Probably  this  picture  was  sketched  by  the  great  master  himself,  and 
finished  by  Luini. 

Engraved  by  Steinmiiller. 


240  LEONARDO   DA     VINCI. 

Virgin,  with  the  Donor. 

In  the  Brussels  Gallery.    (?) 

LfiPIClfi  gives  the  following  description  of  this  Virgin  in  his  Catalogue 
Raisonne  of  the  pictures  belonging  to  the  King  of  France :  "  Virgin  hold- 
ing the  Infant  Christ.  The  Holy  Mother,  in  a  simple  and  graceful  atti- 
tude, bears  in  her  arms  the  Holy  Child,  near  whom  may  be  seen  the 
little  St.  John. 

"  In  the  foreground  of  this  picture,  the  artist  has  placed  the  figure  of 
a  kneeling  man,  in  the  act  of  adoration.  The  background  is  partly 
formed  by  a  curtain. 

"  Independently  of  the  grand  character  of  the  design,  there  may 
here  be  found  that  grace  and  fidelity  of  expression  which  Leonardo  gives 
his  figures." 

This  picture  was  presented  to  the  Museum  of  Brussels  in  the  year  xi. 
of  the  first  French  Republic. 

i8. 

Virgin. 

Belonging  to  Lord  Ashburton. 

An  angel  is  seen  raising  the  cover  of  a  bed  on  which  the  Divine  In- 
fant is  sleeping  in  the  arms  of  His  mother  ;  while  the  little  St.  John  and 
an  angel  watch  by  Him. 

The  figures  are  half  the  size  of  nature. 

This  picture,  which  was  formerly  in  the  Prior's  chamber  of  the  Escurial, 
subsequently  formed  part  of  the  collection  of  General  Sebastiani. 

Dr.  Waagen  says  it  is  by  Luini.  At  present  it  belongs  to  Lord  Ash- 
burton, who,  on  the  authority  of  many  critics,  believes  it  to  be  genuine. 

19. 

Virgin,  of  the  Albani  Palace. 

Rome. 

Both  Lanzi  and  Raphael  Mengs  speak  of  this  picture  ;  the  former  says 
that  its  grace  is  impossible  to  describe,  and  the  latter  goes  so  far  as  to 


CLASSIFIED    CATALOGUE    OF  PAINTINGS.  241 

assert,  that  it  is  the  most  valuable  work  in  that  gallery ;  on  the  other 
hand,  Passavant  simply  refers  to  it  as  "perhaps  by  Luini,  or  one  of 
the  same  school." 

The  Virgin  is  represented  as  though  asking  for  a  branch  of  lilies  with 
which  her  Infant  Jesus  is  playing,  while  he  shrinks  away  as  unwilling 
to  part  with  them.     It  is  altogether  a  very  graceful  composition. 

Engraved  by  Martinet.     {See  Photograph) 

20. 
The  Virgin,  at  Alton  Towers. 
Earl  of  Shrewsbury. 

Herr  Passavant  (in  "  Kunstreise  durch  England  und  Belgien  ")  men- 
tions a  small  picture  by  Leonardo,  preserved  at  Alton  Towers,  the  seat 
of  the  Earl  of  Shrewsbury.  "  It  shows  the  Virgin  with  the  Infant 
Christ  upon  her  breast ;  the  Child  stretches  out  his  hand  for  a  pink 
which  she  holds  in  her  hand.  The  background  represents  a  landscape, 
with  the  Lake  of  Como  in  the  distance,  and  in  the  foreground  is  a 
garden ;  the  mother  wears  a  black  dress  and  yellow  mantle." 

21. 

The  Virgin  of  the  Pourtal^s  Gallery. 

The  "  Bulletin  de  I'AUiance  des  Arts,"  vol.  i.  page  30,  refers  to  this 
painting,  and  attributes  it  to  Leonardo.  It  was  once  in  the  possession 
of  the  Royal  Family  of  Spain,  and  was  bought  for  a  work  of  Luini,  at 
the  Pourtales  sale.  "  In  it  the  Virgin  is  shown  bending  towards  her 
Infant  Son,  as  she  offers  him  a  flower." 

22. 

The  Virgin  of  Andrea  Solario. 

In  the  Louvre. 

This  picture,  signed  "Andreas  de  Solario  fee,"  although  it  vividly 
recalls  the  manner  of  G.  Ferrari,  his  master,  is  most  probably  founded  on 

R 


242  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI. 

a  design  by  Leonardo,  "  for,"  says  Passavant,  "  there  is  still  existing 
in  the  collection  at  the  Ambrosian  Library,  a  drawing  in  red  chalk  by 
this  master,  half-length  life  size,  which  has  served  as  a  basis  for  many 
of  the  pictures  painted  at  Milan  by  the  pupils  or  the  imitators  of  Leo- 
nardo's school ;  these  are,  however,  all  inferior  to  that  at  the  Louvre. 
This  drawing  by  Leonardo  has  been  engraved  by  Gerli." 

So  Andrea  Solario  must  nevertheless  be  awarded  a  great  share  in  the 
praise  due  to  this  admirable  picture,  which,  with  its  lightness,  its  inimit- 
able charm,  its  transparency  and  brilliant  colouring,  belongs  entirely  to 
the  Lombard  school. 

23. 

The  Virgin  of  the  Brera  Gallery. 

Milan. 

This  also  has  been  pointed  out  to  us  by  Passavant.  "  The  Virgin 
and  the  Child  Jesus  are  in  a  landscape ;  the  picture  is  incomplete.  It 
was  formerly  in  the  possession  of  the  Archbishop  of  Milan,  and  is  at 
present  in  the  Brera  Gallery.  The  design  is  too  feeble  to  be  Leo- 
nardo's ;  but  it  may  be  by  Salaino." 


24. 

The  Holy  Family  of  Brescia. 

Again  our  information  rests  on  the  authority  of  Passavant :  "  The 
Holy  Family,  in  an  open  tent,  surrounded  by  a  landscape  with  a  river, 
on  which  there  are  two  swans.  This  picture,  executed  with  great  care, 
has  passed  from  the  collection  of  Sigismund  Belluso,  of  Mantua,  to  that 
of  the  Count  Theodore  Lecchi,  at  Brescia  ;  it  is  evidently  a  work  by  one 
of  Da  Vinci's  pupils." 

25. 

The  Madonna  of  Milan, 

"  The  Virgin  is  holding  the  Holy  Child  with  both  hands,  and  he  strokes 
her  chin  as  though  he  were  about  to  embrace  her,  meanwhile  turning 


CLASSIFIED    CATALOGUE    OF    PAINTINGS,  243 

his  head  towards  the  spectators.  The  picture  is  very  charming,  and 
most  highly  finished."  Kugler  thus  describes  this  work,  which  he  found 
in  the  Casa  Aracoeli,  at  Milan. 

Is  it  really  by  Leonardo,  and  is  it  still  at  Milan  }  M.  Charles  Clement 
refers  to  a  Madonna  in  the  Litta  Palace  of  the  same  city.  ''The 
Virgin,"  says  he,  "  is  seen  in  profile,  as  she  inclines  her  head  towards  the 
Infant  Christ.  The  drawing  is  of  great  beauty,  and  displays  a  gran- 
deur, amplitude,  and  roundness,  which  are  of  a  truly  extraordinary 
character. 

"  The  face  of  the  Virgin  is  painted  in  a  somewhat  dry  manner,  denoting 
the  influence  of  Flemish  art. 

"  The  authenticity  of  this  picture  has  been  contested,  but  it  is  never- 
theless an  admirable  piece  of  painting." 

Engraved  in  the  selection  of  Fumagalli. 

26. 

The  Virgin  with  the  Scales. 
In  the  Gallery  of  the  Louvre. 

The  drawing  of  this  picture  is  somewhat  undecided  ;  it  has  been  sup- 
posed that  it  was  painted  by  Leonardo  during  a  period  of  depression. 
Waagen  attributed  it  to  Marco  d'Oggione,  while  Passavant  names 
Salaino  as  the  probable  painter ;  the  catalogue  of  the  Louvre,  however, 
unhesitatingly  gives  it  to  Leonardo. 

The  name  of  this  work  was  derived  from  the  scales  of  the  Last 
Judgment,  which  St.  Michael  is  represented  as  offering  to  the  Infant 
Jesus  seated  on  the  knees  of  His  mother  ;  but  neither  Mary  nor  her  son 
appear  to  pay  any  attention  to  him,  for  they  are  occupied  with  watching 
the  little  St.  John,  who  is  toying  with  a  lamb  beside  his  mother,  St. 
Elizabeth. 

Engraved  in  Landon's  "  Vies  et  CEuvres  des  Peintres." 


244  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI. 

27. 

The  Holy  Family. 
In  the  Gallery  of  the  Louvre. 

In  this  the  Infant  Christ  is  seated  on  a  cushion,  his  mother  supports 
Him,  and  assists  in  taking  a  cross  of  reeds  from  the  hands  of  the  little 
St.  John  the  Baptist. 

Waagen,  and  after  him  Passavant,  refer  this  picture  to  the 
Roman  school ;  the  former  says,  "  That  from  its  composition,  its 
agreeable  character,  and  the  warmth  of  its  colouring,  which  is  slightly- 
gloomy  in  the  shadows,  he  recognizes  a  work  of  Pierino  del  Vago." 
At  the  Louvre,  however,  it  is  attributed  to  Leonardo. 

28. 
Mater  Dolorosa. 

FUMAGALLI,  in  his  "  Recueil,"  gives  the  drawing  for  a  bust  of  the 
**  Mater  Dolorosa."  '*  It  is,"  says  Kugler,  "  of  remarkable  grandeur 
and  nobility,  and  evidently  is  the  design  for  a  completed  work."  Where 
it  is  now  to  be  found  is  uncertain. 

29. 

Assumption  of  the  Virgin. 

This  picture  is  mentioned  by  il  Padre  Gattico,  who,  in  a  manuscript  history 
of  the  Convent  of  Santa  Maria  delle  Grazie  at  Milan,  says  that  Leonardo 
painted  over  the  door  of  the  convent  church  an  Assumption  of  the 
Virgin,  which  was  executed  on  canvas  ;  "  there  may  be  seen,  in  a  glory 
formed  by  numberless  little  angels,  St.  Dominic  and  the  Duke  Lodovico 
Sforza  on  the  one  side,  and  on  the  other  St.  Peter  Martyr  and  the 
Duchess  Beatrice.  The  picture  was  in  the  form  of  a  lunette ;  it 
was  transferred  to  the  sacristy  in  1726,  where  it  has  been  copied  in 
fresco."  All  these  details  do  not  interfere  with  the  fact  that  the 
authenticity  of  this  picture  has  been  doubted  by  the  greater  number 
of  historians  on  art ;  they  even  insinuate  that  the  Dominican  Gattico, 


CLASSIFIED    CATALOGUE    OF   PAINTINGS.  245 

in  his  too  great  anxiety  to  enhance  the  glory  of  his  convent,  has  not 
hesitated  to  depart  from  strict  truth. 


30- 
Virgin  surrounded  by  Saints. 

This  is  known  to  M.  Millin  only,  who,  in  his  "  Voyage  dans  le  Milanais," 
states  that  the  church  of  the  Brera  possesses  a  Virgin  by  Leonardo 
da  Vinci. 

"  She  is  surrounded  by  three  bishops  and  a  cardinal,  the  donor,  his 
wife,  and  their  children  ;  two  angels  are  placing  a  crown  upon  her 
head." 

31. 

The  Virgin  of  Pommersfeld. 

Count  Schonborn  possesses  in  the  gallery  of  his  castle  of  Pommers- 
feld a  Virgin  represented  with  the  Holy  Child  upon  her  knees,  on  a 
cushion.  The  Virgin  is  supported  by  a  pedestal,  and  the  Child  points 
to  a  vase  on  a  table. 

Kugler  says  that  this  Virgin  and  Child  are  the  portraits  of  a  beau- 
tiful woman  and  her  son  known  to  Leonardo ;  but  a  little  further  on  he 
attributes  the  picture  to  Solario. 

On  comparing  the  Virgin  at  Pommersfeld  with  the  work  numbered 
1228  in  the  Louvre,  known  as  the  "Virgin  of  Andrea  Solario,"  "there 
may  be  found,"  says  Dr.  Rigollot,  "  the  same  amiable  expression  in  the 
faces,  the  same  well-drawn  forms,  so  fine  and  so  rounded,  and  the  same 
excellent  fore-shortening  of  the  limbs  of  the  child  with  its  softened 
contours,  and  the  rosy  tone  of  the  toes  and  the  elbows  ;  one  may  recog- 
nize also  the  clear  flesh  tints,  with  their  delicate  blue  half-tones  and 
transparent  shadows,  though  these  last  are  rather  dark,  the  beautiful 
blue  colouring  of  the  mantle,  and  the  red  dress  with  its  white  lights 
and  orange  shadows ;  in  fact,  in  the  soft  work  of  the  pencil,  in  the 
manner  in  which  the  colours  are  grounded  and  diffused,  the  handiwork 
of  the  pupil  of  Gaudenzio  Ferrari  may  readily  be  discovered."  This 
picture  was  at  first  attributed  to  Raphael,  but  wrongly  ;  it  is  doubted 
whether  it  is  more  rightly  referred  to  Solario. 


246  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI. 

Granted  that  this  picture  has  a  sufficiently  original  appearance  to 
account  for  many  copies  having  been  made,  it  is  nevertheless  doubtful 
if  it  is  the  work  of  Leonardo.  The  features  of  the  Virgin  '•'  with  a  short 
nose,"  the  elaborate  nature  of  the  painting,  and  the  superficial  ex- 
pression of  her  face,  are  not  in  any  way  characteristic  of  Leonardo 
da  Vinci. 

Among  the  copies  which  have  been  made  of  this  Virgin  of  Pom- 
mersfeld,  Waagen  refers  to  a  painting  in  the  Gallery  at  Berlin ;  which 
is  stated  in  the  catalogue  to  have  been  painted  after  a  composition 
by  Leonardo. 

32. 

The  Virgin  and  Infant  Jesus. 

M.  G.  DE  MOULINS,  the  owner  of  this  picture,  published,  in  1848,  a 
pamphlet  "  On  the  Illustrious  Leonardo  da  Vinci  and  his  immortal 
Works,"  informing  us  of  its  being  in  his  possession,  and  that  he  was 
prepared  to  dispose  of  it  on  remunerative  terms.  He  also  affirmed  in 
the  same  pamphlet  that  it  had  never  been  out  of  his  family  since  the 
time  when  it  was  given  to  Francois  de  Moulins,  who  was  Grand  Almoner 
of  France,  and  once  tutor  to  Francis  I.,  and  died  in  1535.  Besides  his 
own  statement,  he  gives  no  other  confirmation  of  the  fact  than  a  phrase 
from  Felibien  :  "  There  is  in  the  cabinet  of  M.  de  Sourdis  a  Virgin 
holding  a  little  Jesus  in  her  arms."  This  M.  de  Sourdis  was  a  near 
relative  and  intimate  friend  of  the  De  Moulins  family. 

The  picture  is  painted  on  wood ;  the  figures  are  larger  than  life  size ; 
the  Virgin  supports  her  cheek  against  the  head  of  her  Child,  whom  she 
holds  upon  her  lap ;  she  is  clothed  in  a  red  dress,  and  a  mantle  of  azure 
blue  lined  with  orange  silk  falls  from  her  shoulders  ;  the  Child  is  un- 
clothed. 


Part  II. 
SACRED  HISTORICAL  SUBJECTS. 

33. 
The  Last  Supper. 

hi  tJte  Convent  of  Smtta  Maria  delle  Grazie,  Milan. 

HIS,  the  greatest  work  of  Leonardo,  has  already  been 
so  fully  described  in  this  volume  (see  page  31),  that 
further  notice  is  not  needed. 

^  Engraved  by  Raphael  Morghen ;  Thouvenet ;  and  many 
others.     {See  Photograph  of  Raphael  Morghen' s  Engraving.) 

Herr  Passavant  gives  the  following  criticism  on  the  copy  at  the  Royal 
Academy : — "  A  copy  in  oils,  by  Marco  Uggione,  from  Leonardo's  cele- 
brated painting  in  Sta.  Maria  delle  Grazie  in  Milan,  is  of  the  same  size 
as  the  original. 

"  The  united  efforts  of  ignorance  and  destruction  having  now  rendered 
the  splendid  fresco  a  mere  shadow  of  what  it  was,  this  copy  by  one 
of  Leonardo's  best  pupils  assumes  a  proportionate  value.  It  is  also  in 
itself  a  fine  performance,  preserving  the  character  of  the  heads  most 
completely,  all  that  is  wanting  being  that  delicacy  of  finish  which 
particularly  distinguished  the  original.  The  beauty  of  the  old  painting 
in  this  respect  is  further  proved  by  the  ten  original  heads  which  formerly 
belonged  to  the  Ambrosian  Library,  and  which  are  now  in  England.* 
They  were  purloined  from  the  library  during  the  period  of  the  French 
revolution,  fell  into  the  hands  of  Sir  Thomas  Baring,  and  afterwards 
passed  into  the  collection  of  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence,  at  whose  sale 
they  came  into  the  possession  of  Mr.  Woodburn,  in  whose  gallery  I  had 
the  advantage  of  seeing  them.  These  ten  heads  are  of  extraordinary 
beauty,    and  in  tolerable  preservation  ;    drawn  in  black  chalk,  with  a 


'  Eight  of  these  heads  are  in  the  Gallery  of  the  Hermitage. 


248  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI. 

slight  tint  of  colour,  and  altogether  well  worthy  of  the  great  master.  It 
seems  as  if  Leonardo  had  devoted  his  chief  efforts  to  the  heads,  leaving 
the  rest  of  the  figure  only  slightly  expressed.  In  the  sloping,  almost 
horizontal  strokes,  we  recognize  the  peculiar  signs  of  Leonardo's  pencil, 
while  the  great  delicacy  of  the  drawing  and  perfect  gradation  of  tone 
are  incontrovertible  proofs  of  his  excellence.  The  copy  now  before  us, 
by  Marco  Uggione,  formerly  embellished  the  refectory  of  the  Chartreuse 
at  Pavia,  but  was  stolen  during  the  troubles  of  the  revolution  by  a 
Frenchman,  who  brought  it  to  Milan,  and  having  there  taken  up  a 
sum  of  money  upon  it,  absconded,  and  was  no  more  heard  of  In  the 
meantime  the  picture  remained  unnoticed  and  unreclaimed  till  the  year 
1815,  when  the  treaty  of  Paris  being  concluded  and  every  nation 
striving  to  regain  her  own,  this  copy,  for  better  security,  was  brought 
over  and  publicly  exhibited  in  England.  Sir  Benjamin  West,  at  that 
time  President  of  the  Royal  Academy,  made  a  most  favourable  report 
of  its  merits,  but  purchasers  were  few  in  number,  and  the  Academy  sub- 
sequently obtained  it  at  a  low  price." 

34. 
St.  John  the  Baptist. 

In  the  Gallery  of  the  Louvre. 

Dr.  Kugler  says,  in  his  "  Handbuch  der  Kunstgeschichte,"  that  "  this 
St.  John,  the  portrait  of  Lucrezia  Crivelli,  and  that  of  Mona  Lisa, 
which  are  in  the  Louvre,  can  alone  be  regarded  as  thoroughly  authen- 
ticated works  of  Leonardo's  most  brilliant  period,  since  nearly  all  refer- 
ences relate  either  to  these  or  to  incomplete  or  missing  works."  If  it 
were  not  for  the  cross  in  the  hand  of  the  saint,  the  radiancy  of  his  face, 
the  impassioned  expression  of  his  mouth  and  eyes,  and  the  gesture  with 
which  he  points  towards  heaven,  it  might  lead  one  to  mistake  him  for  a 
Bacchus — he  seems  to  be  crying  Evoe  to  Jupiter  after  his  first  vintage. 
The  beauty  of  the  modelling  and  the  flesh-tones  mingled  with  the 
shadows,  which  are  almost  opaque,  the  clear  spaces  brilliant  with 
metallic-like  reflection,  are  all  characteristic  of  the  hand  of  Leonardo. 

Unhappily,  the  head  alone  has  been  left  as  he  painted  it ;  a  number  of 
retouches  have  defaced  this  chef-d'oeuvre,  this  companion  to  the  Mona  Lisa. 

The  entire  history  of  this  picture  is  not  known,  but  it  is  certain  that 


CLASSIFIED    CATALOGUE    OF   PAINTINGS.  249 

Louis  XIII.  made  it  a  present  to  Charles  I.  of  England,  who,  in  ex- 
change, gave  him  a  portrait  of  Erasmus  by  Holbein,  and  a  Holy  Family 
by  Titian.  It  is  probable  that  Cromwell  once  had  it  in  his  possession. 
By  a  series  of  unknown  adventures,  Leonardo's  painting  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  amateur  Jabach,  from  whom  it  was  obtained  for  the  Louvre. 
The  Ambrosian  Collection  at  Milan  possesses  a  copy  of  this  work. 

35. 
The  Adoration  of  the  Magi. 

In  the  Uffizj  Gallery^  Florence. 

This  was  doubtless  painted  before  Leonardo  left  Florence,  about  1480, 
for  the  figures,  above  all  that  of  the  Virgin,  are  not  of  that  type  which 
he  afterwards  adopted  at  Milan. 

His  constant  aim  was  to  master  the  effects  of  light ;  he  may  claim 
to  be  regarded  as  the  inventor  of  that  difficult  science  which  is  called 
"  chiaroscuro." 

"  This  picture,"  says  Rumohr,  in  his  "  Italienische  Forschungen,"  "  in 
which  the  distribution  and  composition  are  of  a  studied  simplicity,  in 
which  the  numerous  persons  are  arranged  in  groups,  bound  together 
by  skilful  disposition  of  masses,  and  where  all  the  figures,  though 
placed  in  a  common  obscurity,  are  made  visible  by  the  reflections  of 
feeble  and  broken  lights,  is  the  most  complete  example  that  Leonardo 
has  left  to  painters  who,  like  Era  Bartolomeo,  have  devoted  themselves 
to  the  art  of  distributing  light,  and  combining  the  composition  of  their 
pictures  by  the  use  of  shade  on  shade." 

Engraved  in  Rosini's  "  Storia  della  Pittura  Italiana." 

36. 
Bust  of  St.  John. 

The  Italian,  Conca,  mentions  **  a  head  of  the  youthful  St.  John  in  the 
palace  of  the  King  of  Spain."  Mengs  speaks  of  a  head  of  St.  John  the 
Baptist  in  his  youth,  as  belonging  to  the  Princess  of  the  Asturias.  These 
two  are  probably  identical. 

Felibien,  in  his  "  Entretiens  sur  les  Peintres,"  says  that  "there  was  in 
the  Hotel  de  Cond6,  in  the  cabinet  of  M.  le  Prince,  a  head  of  St.  John 


250  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI. 

the  Baptist."  It  had  been  painted,  he  thinks,  at  Florence,  about  15 13,  by 
Leonardo  da  Vinci,  for  a  gentleman  of  the  court  of  the  Duke  of  Florence, 
called  Camille  degli  Albizzi.  Lanzi,  who  had  seen  many  pictures  of 
St.  John  the  Baptist,  says  that  they  cannot  be  safely  attributed  to 
Leonardo. 

Herr  Passavant  has  not  given  any  opinion,  neither  has  Dr.  Rigollot.  It 
is  probable,  however,  that  Mengs  was  not  deceived  ;  and  considering  the 
high  eulogy  that  he  gives  to  the  picture  of  St.  John  the  Baptist  in  the 
possession  of  the  Princess  of  the  Asturias,  we  may  readily  believe  that 
Leonardo  had  a  hand  in  "  that  grand  study  of  chiaroscuro." 

37- 

St.  Jerome  Penitent. 

In  the  Collection  of  Cardinal  Feschi. 

This  is  nothing  more  than  a  rough  sketch,  like  the  Adoration  of  the 
Magi.  St.  Jerome  is  on  his  knees  in  a  grotto,  with  a  lion  by  his  side  ; 
the  head  only  of  the  Saint  is  finished. 

38. 

Head  of  St.  John. 

At  Milan. 

Herr  Passavant  says,  in  his  manuscript  notes,  "The  severed  head  of 
St.  John  is  on  a  plate.  The  picture  is  very  finely  executed,  but  appears 
to  have  been  done  by  a  pupil  of  Leonardo's,  after  his  design.  It  was 
found  in  the  Ambrosian  Collection  at  Milan.  The  lights  in  the  hair  are 
heightened  by  gold,  which  is  not  found  on  any  other  of  the  works  of 
this  master." 

This  head  of  St.  John,  which  has  been  noticed  by  few  critics,  ought  to 
be  put  among  the  most  doubtful  pages  of  the  great  book  Leonardo  has 
left  us. 

39. 

Pictures  of  Herodias. 

At  Florence. 

An  "  Herodias  "  which  has  for  a  long  time  passed  as  the  work  of  Leonardo 


CLASSIFIED    CATALOGUE    OF  PAINTINGS.  251 

still  exists  in  the  Tribune  of  the  Uffizj  at  Florence.  It  is  now  almost 
decided  by  all  art-critics  to  be  a  masterpiece  of  Bernardino  Luini,  pupil 
and  imitator  of  Leonardo,  the  greater  number  of  whose  pictures  have 
been  attributed  to  his  master ;  and  they  are  in  many  cases  worthy  of  that 
honour.  The  Herodias  of  Florence  is  assuredly  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful creations  of  art.  The  figures  are  half-length.  Herodias  seizes  the 
head  of  the  saint,  which  the  executioner  is  bringing  forward ;  a  serving- 
maid  is  standing  near. 

There  are  in  this  picture  an  energy  of  expression  and  a  skilfulness  of 
workmanship  which  are  very  remarkable.  The  Royal  Palace  of  Hamp- 
ton Court  possesses  a  picture  of  Herodias  attributed  to  Leonardo  da 
Vinci,  but  Dr.  Waagen  thinks  that  it  is  more  likely  to  be  the  work  of 
Beltraffio.  There  is  mention  also  of  an  Herodias  in  the  collection  of 
M.  Collot,  formerly  Director  of  the  Mint,  Paris,  but  this  is  a  reproduction 
of  the  one  at  Hampton  Court.  "  If  it  is  not  by  Leonardo,  it  is  worthy  to 
be  so,"  says  a  French  critic.  It  is  of  a  very  clear  tone,  more  transparent 
and  fine  than  that  of  the  copy  at  Hampton  Court. 

The  catalogue  of  the  pictures  in  the  Imperial  Gallery  at  Vienna 
attributes  three  pictures  of  Herodias  to  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  but  none  of 
these  three  pictures  are  by  the  hand  of  the  master.  They  are  all  the 
work  of  his  school.  It  is  difficult,  however,  to  find  the  signature  of  any 
well-known  pupil  on  them.  Passavant  thinks  that  one  of  these  may  be 
Cesare  da  Sesto. 

In  the  Orleans  Gallery  there  is  a  copy  of  the  Herodias  of  Vienna, 
and  the  Dresden  Gallery  also  possesses  another,  but  in  a  bust  only. 
No.  1227  of  the  Louvre  is  "Salome,"  the  daughter  of  Herodias,  by 
Andrea  Solario.  This  has  been  often  attributed  to  Leonardo,  but  it 
is  certain  that  it  was  bought  by  Louis  XIV.,  on  the  understanding  that 
it  was  a  work  of  Solario.  It  is  one  of  the  good  pictures  due  to  the  in- 
fluence of  Leonardo.  This,  according  to  the  "Notices  des  Tableaux 
recueillis  en  Lombardie,"  once  belonged  to  Cardinal  Richelieu. 

Dr.  RigoUot  found  at  Amiens,  in  the  collection  of  an  amateur,  a  fine 
picture,  having  for  its  subject  Herodias  holding  a  dish,  in  which  the 
executioner  places  the  head  of  St.  John  the  Baptist.  An  old  woman, 
whose  head  is  covered  with  a  turban,  responds  with  a  gesture  to  the 
glances  of  Herodias ;  two  figures  are  seen  in  the  background.  "  This 
picture  came  from  the  sale  of  M.  Lafontaine,  who,  it  is  believed,  had  it 


252  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI. 

from  George  IV.,  in  exchange  for  some  Dutch  and  Flemish  pictures  for 
which  the  king  had  a  desire.  According  to  the  catalogue  of  the  sale,  it 
is  believed  that  it  once  formed  part  of  the  collection  of  Charles  I.  It 
has  been  attributed  to  Leonardo,  but  wrongly. 

At  the  Leeds  Exhibition,  in  1868,  Colonel  Markham  exhibited  a 
painting  by  Leonardo — "The  Daughter  of  Herodias  receiving  the  Head 
of  St.  John." 

The  picture  in  the  Gallery  at  Florence  has  been  engraved  by  Volpato 
and  in  Landon's  Selection. 


40. 
Saint  Catherine. 

LfiPIClfi,  in  his  ''  Catalogue  des  Tableaux  du  Roi,"  mentions  a  half-length 
of  St.  Catherine  crowned  with  jessamine,  and  holding  in  her  right  hand 
an  open  book,  the  pages  of  which  she  is  apparently  turning  with  her  left ; 
she  is  accompanied  by  two  angels,  one  of  whom  holds  a  palm,  and 
the  other  her  instrument  of  martyrdom.  "  This  picture,"  adds  Lepicie, 
"  is  vigorous  in  colour  ;  the  details  of  the  draperies  astonish  us  by  their 
finish ;  Leonardo  has  left  nothing  neglected  that  may  truthfully  render 
the  different  characters  of  the  materials  which  drape  the  principal  figure." 
It  is  now  at  Compiegne,  and  the  catalogue  refers  to  it  under  the  erro- 
neous title  of  "  The  Holy  Family  ; "  it  is  numbered  139. 

There  are  many  St.  Catherines  attributed  to  Leonardo ;  among  others 
one  was  formerly  at  Modena,  in  the  gallery  of  the  D'Este  family.  M. 
RigoUot  mentions  another  at  Milan,  in  the  possession  of  the  painter 
Appiani. 

The  Royal  Gallery  at  Copenhagen  flatters  itself  that  it  possesses  the 
original  of  all  the  Saint  Catherines  attributed  to  Leonardo ;  Herr 
Passavant  believes,  however,  that  this  is  a  vain  assertion,  and  that  the 
much-vaunted  work  is  more  probably  by  Luini. 

Gault  de  Saint-Germain  speaks  of  an  original  St.  Catherine  in  Ger- 
many:  he  probably  refers  to  the  painting  at  Nuremberg  which  was 
engraved  by  H.  C,  Miiller. 

At  the  Leeds  Exhibition  of  Works  of  the  Old  Masters,  in  1868,  a 
"  St.  Catherine  and  Two  Angels  "  (from  the  Corsi  Gallery,  Florence)  was 
lent  by  Mr.  P.  F.  Howard. 


CLASSIFIED    CATALOGUE    OF  PAINTINGS.  253 

41. 

Magdalenes. 

Vasari  possessed  a  drawing  by  Leonardo  representing  a  Magdalene, 
the  head  of  whom  "  was  full  of  grace  and  expression."  This  drawing  is 
now  preserved  in  the  gallery  at  Florence.  Conca  speaks  of  a  **  Magdalene 
with  her  hair  falling  loosely  about  her,  which  was  found  in  the  Cathedral 
of  Burgos,  and  which  skilful  connoisseurs  attribute  to  Leonardo."  Lanzi 
mentions  two  pictures  of  the  Magdalene  as  attributed  to  Leonardo,  one 
at  the  Pitti  Palace  at  Florence,  the  other  at  the  Aldobrandini,  at  Rome  ; 
but  believes  that  both  of  these  are  most  likely  the  work  of  Luini. 

Herr  Passavant,  in  a  notice  referred  to  by  M.  RigoUot,  says  that  the 
Magdalene  of  the  Aldobrandini  Palace  was  subsequently  at  Vienna,  in 
the  hands  of  the  Counsellor  Adamowich. 

42. 
Saint  Sebastian. 
In  the  Gallery  of  tJw  Hermitage,  St.  Petersburg. 
M.  Charles  Blanc  has   narrated   the  history  of  this   picture  in  the 
"Gazette  des  Beaux-Arts"  of  the  15th  of  January,  1861.    "It  was,"  says 
he,  "bought  by  the  famous  merchant  Dubois,  at   Turin,   towards  the 
commencement  of  the  Empire.      Charged  to  compose  a  nucleus  for  a 
gallery  by  an  Italian  prince,  he  collected  a  vast  number  of  paintings,  and 
among  them  was   this  St.    Sebastian,  which  he   valued   at   a  hundred 
thousand  francs,  as  he  declared  it  to  be  by  Leonardo." 

The  Italian  prince  died  young,  his  collection  was  sold,  and  the  Saint 
Sebastian  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Chevalier  Bistoli,  who  some  time 
afterwards  gave  this  painting  in  pledge,  and  it  was,  after  his  death,  sold 
to  M.  Wolsey-Moreau,  who  exhibited  it  in  Paris,  where  negotiations  for 
its  purchase  and  removal  to  the  Louvre  were  opened  ;  but  in  i860,  the 
Grand  Duchess  Marie,  attracted  by  its  beauty,  induced  the  Emperor  of 
Russia  to  buy  it  for  sixty  thousand  francs,  that  it  might  be  included 
among  the  collection  at  the  Hermitage  Gallery  in  St.  Petersburg. 

The  Saint,  tied  to  a  tree  by  means  of  red  and  black  ribbons,  points 
with  his  left  hand  to  an  arrow  which  has  pierced  his  heart,  and  with  his 
right  to  an  inscription.  It  is  evident,  as  M.  Charles  Blanc  remarks,  that 
this  is  an  emblematical  portrait  of  some  grand  personage  of  Milan. 


Part  III. 
CLASSICAL   SUBJECTS. 

43- 

Bacchus. 

In  the  Gallery  of  the  Louvre. 

'AAGEN  says  that  the  landscape  in  this  picture  appears  to 
him  to  be  the  work  of  Bernazzano,  "  who  often  painted 
backgrounds  for  Cesare  da  Sesto."  He  dwells  "  on  the 
local  tone,  which  is  red,  on  the  hardness  of  the  con- 
tours, on  the  awkwardness  of  the  gradations  of  shadow." 
Passavant,  on  the  contrary,  extols  the  head,  the  feet,  and  parts  of  the 
scenery,  as  being  entirely  beautiful ;  "  the  remainder,"  he  says,  "  seems 
never  to  have  been  finished,  and  has  suffered  much,"  but  he  attributes 
the  painting  to  Leonardo  without  any  doubt. 

All  that  can  be  said  with  any  reasonable  pretension  to  certainty  is,  that 
Leonardo  painted  this  picture,  but  that  inexperienced  hands  have 
tampered  with  the  work  in  attempting  to  restore  it. 

Passavant  truly  observes  that  the  vine-leaves  and  grapes  are  of  a 
crude  green  colour  which  Leonardo  has  not  employed  in  the  rest  of  the 
picture  ;  he  believes  that  this  "Bacchus"  is  really  meant  for  St.  John  the 
Baptist  in  the  Desert,  and  recalls  the  fact  that  in  the  church  of  St. 
Eustorgio,  at  Milan,  there  is  a  copy  of  this  work  which  is  there  named 
St.  John  the  Baptist. 

It  is  not  improbable  that  some  purist,  scandalized  by  the  pagan 
expression  of  the  Saint,  was  convinced  that  Leonardo  intended  his 
figure,  for  a  Bacchus,  and  most  conscientiously  added  the  vivid  green 
vine-leaves  and  grapes.  If  so,  this  "  Bacchus  "  is  nothing  more  than  a 
travesty  of  Leonardo's  work. 


CLASSIFIED    CATALOGUE   OF  PAINTINGS.  255 

M.  Giuseppe  Campori  refers  to  a  volume  of  manuscript  poetry  by 
Flavio-Antonio  Giraldi,  in  the  Public  Library  of  Ferrara,  in  which  he 
found  a  distich  alluding  to  a  "  Bacchus "  attributed  to  Leonardo.  It 
runs  thus : 

"Bacchus  Leonard:  Vincii. 

"  Tergeminum  posthac,  mortales,  credite  Bacchum  : 
Me  peperit  docta  Vincius  ille  manu." 

Does  this  mean  the  Bacchus  of  the  Louvre  ? 

Gault  de  Saint-Germain,  in  his  Catalogue,  mentions  this  picture  as 
being  by  some  attributed  to  Lorenzo  di  Credi.  But  why  not  ascribe 
it  to  Leonardo  without  further  discussion  ? 


44. 

Head  of  the  Medusa. 

In  the  Uffizj  at  Florence. 

Vasari  speaks  of  a  Medusa  as  belonging  to  the  Duke  Cosimo  de' 
Medici ;  and  it  is  believed  to  be  the  same  that  is  now  in  the  Uffizj.  It 
is  a  death-like  head,  of  a  fantastic  yet  realistic  type,  and  marvellously 
drawn.  The  glassy  eyes  extinguish  themselves  in  rolling  in  their  orbits ; 
the  mouth  is  distorted  with  agony,  and  the  hair,  which  seems  bristling 
with  horror,  is  composed  of  hideous  green  snakes,  which  Leonardo  has 
rendered  with  an  extreme  fineness  of  touch ;  they  extend  themselves  as 
if  fearfully  hissing,  even  as  though  they  shrunk  from  the  fatal  breath 
that  escapes  from  that  terrible  mouthy  M.  de  Rumohr  does  not  think 
that  this  famous  head  is  really  a  work  of  Leonardo's  youth,  and  believes 
that  the  picture  at  Florence  is  no  more  than  a  copy,  painted  towards  the 
middle  of  the  seventeenth  century,  of  the  Medusa  mentioned  by  Vasari. 
Passavant  remarks  that  the  colour  is  more  thickened  than  was  usual 
with  Leonardo.  Notwithstanding  these  criticisms  it  is  probable  that  the 
head  in  the  Gallery  at  Florence  is  the  same  as  that  which  belonged  to  the 
Duke  Cosimo ;  it  is  evidently  the  work  of  a  youth,  incomplete,  but 
bearing  unmistakeable  signs  of  the  powerful  touch  of  a  master. 

Photographed  by  Messrs.  Alinari  of  Florence. 


256  LEONARDO    DA     VINCL 

45- 
Vanity  and  Modesty. 

In  tJte  Barberini  Palace,  Rome. 

PiRANESI  and  d'Agincourt  have  engraved  an  allegorical  picture  entitled 
"Vanity  and  Modesty,"  from  a  work  attributed  to  Leonardo  in  the 
Barberini  Gallery  at  Rome.  The  Giustiniani  Collection  contained  a 
painting  of  the  same  subject,  also  ascribed  to  Leonardo,  and  in  the  Sciarra 
Palace  at  Rome  there  is  a  third  representation  of  this  allegory,  of  which 
M.  Viardot  says:  "This  picture  is  in  a  most  elevated  style,  and  its 
admirable  beauty  is  such  that  it  does  not  permit  me  to  raise  any  doubts 
of  its  authenticity."  It  has,  however,  been  doubted  if  any  one  of  the 
three  is  really  by  Leonardo.  That  first  mentioned  is  generally  attri- 
buted to  Luini,  and  is  supposed  to  have  been  painted  by  him  over  his 
master's  drawing ;  and  that  which  M.  Viardot  refers  to  has  also  been 
attributed  to  Luini  by  Fumagalli  ;  but  M.  Rumohr  thinks  it  may  be  a 
painting  by  Salai". 

Engraved  by  Campanella#;  by  Troyen  ;  and  in  Landon's  Selection. 

46. 

Leda. 

A  t  the  Hague. 

There  are  more  than  one  picture  of  Leda  attributed  to  Leonardo ;  the 
chief  is  that  at  the  Royal  Gallery  of  the  Hague.  It  is  a  beautiful  com- 
position, but  has  been  subjected  to  many  transformations  and  changes. 
Too  pagan  in  character  for  some  into  whose  hands  it  fell,  this  picture 
was  re-named  "  Charity,"  and  by  a  process  as  simple  as  barbarous, 
the  nude  portions  of  the  figures  were  covered ;  in  this  disguise  it 
was  the  glory  of  the  Gallery  at  Hesse-Cassel,  after  which  it  was  for 
some  years  at  Malmaison,  whence  it  was  taken,  no  doubt  by  indirect 
means,  to  the  Royal  Gallery  at  the  Hague,  where  it  has  been 
restored  almost  to  its  primitive  state. 

In  this  picture  Leda  is  represented  with  a  child  on  her  arm,  and  one 


CLASSIFIED    CATALOGUE    OF  PAINTINGS.  257 

knee  on  the  ground,  in  the  position  of  a  person  rising  slowly ;  with 
her  left  hand  she  points  to  the  twins,  Pollux  and  Helen,  who  are 
emerging  from  the  mythological  ^^^ ;  a  child  seated  on  the  other  side 
near  a  part  of  the  shell  appears  to  regard  the  principal  group  with  great 
attention. 

The  scene  passes  on  the  banks  of  a  river,  where  the  grass  is  mingled 
with  reeds ;  the  river  traverses  the  whole  of  the  background :  at  one  side 
extends  a  breadth  of  country  strewn  with  towers,  and  on  the  horizon  a 
chain  of  mountains  lose  themselves  in  clouds ;  to  the  left  an  amazon  and 
two  cavaliers  gallop  swiftly  along  on  horseback. 

M.  de  Rumohr  has  frequently  spoken  of  this  picture  ;  he  believes  it 
was  painted  at  Milan,  on  account  of  its  violet  tone  and  rather  dingy  flesh 
tints,  which  recall  the  painting  of  the  portraits  of  the  Duke  and  Duchess 
of  Milan  ;  but  he  finds  certain  defects  in  the  treatment  of  the  nude  por- 
tions, which  would  seem  to  indicate  the  date  of  the  picture  to  be  more 
closely  associated  with  Leonardo's  youth. 

Passavant  says  that  the  composition  certainly  emanated  from  Leo- 
nardo, *'  for  there  exists  a  drawing,  published  by  Gerli,  evidently  in- 
tended as  a  sketch  for  it,  but  the  picture  itself,  the  drawing  of  which  is 
heavy,  is  executed  by  one  of  his  pupils." 

Is  this  the  Leda  to  which  Theophile  Gautier  refers }  "  Singular  to 
note,"  says  he,  "  that  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  who  possessed  so  profound  a 
knowledge  of  the  science  of  anatomy,  scarcely  ever  painted  a  nude 
figure  ;  for  our  part,  we  do  not  know  any  other  example  but  the  Leda  ; 
she  is  shown  at  full  length  in  an  equilibric  pose  worthy  of  the  great 
and  beautiful  Grecian  statues,  to  which,  however,  she  bears  no  other 
resemblance,  for  Da  Vinci,  original  in  everything,  draws  his  ideas  from 
the  source  of  nature  alone.  At  the  feet  of  Leda,  which  are  noble  and 
pure  as  if  they  were  carved  in  marble,  are  two  children  playing  among 
the  shell-chips  of  their  broken  t.^%^  the  lovely  offspring  of  the  celestial 
swan ;  the  young  mother  wears  that  expression  of  sprightly  gaiety  which 
is,  as  it  were,  the  seal  of  Leonardo ;  her  eyes  sparkle  with  laughing 
malice  beneath  their  lightly  coupled  brows,  and  the  mouth  is  drawn 
back  at  the  corners,  creasing  the  dimples  of  the  cheeks  with  sinuosities 
so  soft,  so  voluptuous,  and  at  the  same  time  so  arch,  that  her  look  is 
almost  perfidious." 

In  the  Royal  Collection  of  England  there  is  an  original  drawing  in 


258  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI. 

pen  and  ink  representing  Leda  standing  beside  a  swan.  Herr  Passavant, 
in  his  notes,  says :  *'  This  is  a  composition  by  Raphael ;  but  it  appears 
that  Leonardo  once  possessed  the  drawing,  or,  at  all  events,  his  scholars 
made  many  copies  of  it.  In  the  Borghese  Gallery  at  Rome  there  may 
be  seen  an  example  of  this ;  another  was  engraved  at  Paris,  by  Leroux, 
in  1835." 

In  spite  of  Passavant's  positive  assertion,  the  standing  Leda  is  not 
by  Raphael ;  perhaps,  however,  the  great  painter  of  Urbino  may  have 
made  the  original  drawing,  which  is  in  England,  after  a  composition  of 
Leonardo's ;  it  is  known  that  in  his  youth  Raphael  studied  at  one  time 
the  cartoons  of  Leonardo  and  Michael  Angelo. 

Speaking  of  Michael  Angelo,  we  must,  according  to  Passavant,  restore 
to  him  the  sketch  of  Leda  which  was  at  Fontainebleau,  and  of  which 
Lomazzo  speaks  ;  this  last  opinion  of  Passavant  is  perhaps  more  reason- 
able ;  the  sketch,  which  is  now  at  Berlin,  bears  the  impress  of  Michael 
Angelo  rather  than  that  of  Leonardo. 

Engraved  by  Leroux. 

47. 
Flora. 

This  picture  once  formed  part  of  the  collection  belonging  to  Marie  de' 
Medici  ;  it  was  afterwards  in  the  Orleans  Gallery,  at  the  sale  of  which  it 
was  bought  by  M.  Udney,  who  re-sold  it  to  the  King  of  the  Netherlands. 
It  is  finished  with  all  the  care  usually  bestowed  on  a  portrait,  and  indeed 
it  was  for  a  long  time,  and  not  without  reason,  believed  to  be  a  portrait 
of  Diana  of  Poictiers,  or  of  one  of  the  mistresses  of  Francis  I. 

The  Dutch  have  given  it  the  names  of  Frivolity  or  Vanity,  for  what 
reason  none  but  a  German  professor  of  aesthetics  can  philosophically 
explain.  The  figure  is  simply  a  charming  young  woman  holding  a 
flower,  with  her  right  breast  uncovered.  In  a  catalogue  of  the  pictures 
belonging  to  Charles  I.  of  England,  there  is  mention  of  a  painting  repre- 
senting a  half-length  figure  of  a  laughing  woman  holding  a  flower,  which 
was  referred  to  a  pupil  of  Leonardo. 

M.  Passavant  speaks  of  "an  old  copy,  in  which  the  entire  figure  is 
nude,"  and  which  was  at  Stratton,  the  residence  of  Sir  T.  Caring  ;  he 
thinks  it  is  the  one  indicated  in  the  catalogue  above  named. 


CLASSIFIED    CATALOGUE    OF  PAINTINGS.  259 

There  is  in  London  another  picture  of  the  same  subject,  also  attributed 
by  Dr.  Waagen  to  Leonardo.  The  woman  is  clothed  in  a  blue  mantle 
and  a  blue-tinted  white  robe,  and  holds  a  flower  in  her  left  hand ;  her 
posture  is  charming ;  the  head  recalls  the  most  beautiful  of  Leonardo's 
faces,  and  the  execution  is  of  great  purity.  "  But,"  says  Dr.  Waagen, 
"  the  features  are  here  of  a  particularly  fine  character :  the  delicate  na- 
ture of  the  amber  flesh  tones,  and,  above  all,  the  manner  in  which  the 
colours  are  grounded,  seem  to  proclaim  this  the  work  of  Andrea  Solario." 

May  not  this  last-mentioned  example  be  the  half-length  laughing 
figure  referred  to  in  the  catalogue  of  King  Charles  t  It  is  now  in  the 
Gallery  of  the  Duke  of  Sutherland,  at  Stafford  House. 

Another  Flora  attributed  to  Francis  Melzi,  and  said  to  be  designed 
by  Leonardo,  was  a  few  years  ago  in  the  possession  of  Signor  Lancelloti 
at  Naples. 

Lithographed  by  J.  Linnell. 


Part  IV. 
HISTORICAL   SUBJECTS. 


48. 
Cartoon  for  the  Battle  of  Anghiari. 

{Battle  of  the  Standard). 

HE  Battle  of  Anghiari  was  fought  against  Niccolo  Picci- 
nino  near  Florence,  in  1440 ;  it  was  by  no  means  terrible, 
since  but  one  man  was  killed  in  it,  and  even  he,  not 
from  wounds  received  in  the  fight,  but  because  he  fell 
beneath  the  horses'  feet  and  was  trampled  to  death. 
A  special  decree  of  the  Republic  had  charged  Leonardo  to  represent 
this  battle  in  a  large  picture  on  the  walls  of  the  council  chamber ;  he 
commenced  his  sketch  in  the  hall  at  Santa  Maria  Novella,  and  made  it 
of  such  large  proportions  that  he  was  obliged  to  call  in  the  aid  of  his 
engineering  science  in  designing  a  machine  to  elevate  and  lower  his 
work  with  ease.  Vasari  speaks  of  the  cartoon  with  enthusiasm,  above 
all  extolling  a  group  of  cavaliers  disputing  about  the  possession  of  a 
standard  or  flag ;  but  he  says  that  Leonardo  was  forced  to  renounce 
his  intention  of  painting  the  picture  in  oils,  on  account  of  the  imperfect 
method  then  followed  for  the  preparation  of  colours.  In  the  "  Carteggio 
inedito  d'  artisti  dei  secoli  xiv.  xv.  xvi."  by  Doctor  Gaye,  we  read  that 
some  parts  of  this  work  were  indeed  begun  in  1504,  that  Leonardo  was 
assisted  by  Raphael,  Antonio  di  Biago,  and  by  Ferrando  rEspagnol, 
and  that  so  much  as  they  then  did  was  still  to  be  seen  in  1513. 


CLASSIFIED    CATALOGUE    OF    PAINTINGS.  261 

The  original  design  of  Leonardo  is  lost.  Passavant  says  that  the 
group  of  soldiers  engraved  by  Edelinck,  after  a  drawing  by  Rubens, 
and  that  reproduced  in  Plate  39  of  vol.  i.  of  "  L'  Etruria  Pittrice,"  are 
neither  of  them  taken  from  the  original  sketch,  which  does  not  exist,  but 
from  a  reduced  copy  believed  to  be  the  work  of  Bronzino,  or  from  a 
drawing  in  the  Ruccellai  Palace  at  Florence. 

The  "  Battle  of  the  Standard  "  was  fengraved  by  Bertrand  Edelinck. 


Part  V. 
PORTRAITS. 

.    49. 
Portrait  of  Leonardo. 

In  the  Gallery  of  the  Uffizi  at  Florence. 

HIS  portrait  of  Leonardo,  painted  by  himself,  is  the  one 
which  is  so  well  known  through  the  engravings  of  Raphael 
Morghen,  Campiglia,  and  others.  He  was  sixty  years  of 
age. 

Engraved  also  by  Laquillermie.     {See  Photograph)) 

50. 

Portrait  of  Leonardo  {drawn  in  profile). 

In  the  Royal  Collection  at  Windsor  Castle. 

This  was  published  in  1796,  in  a  selection  entitled  "Imitations  of 
Original  Designs  by  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  consisting  of  various  drawings, 
published  by  Joshua  Chamberlaine."  The  stippled  engraving  by  Barto- 
lozzi,  in  imitation  of  red  chalk,  is  a  profile.  The  countenance  shines 
with  a  light  which  seems  to  come  from  on  high  ;  the  head,  of  so  beautiful 
a  type  in  the  original,  is  rendered  with  a  singularly  delicate  exactitude. 
A  copy  of  this  is  in  the  Ambrosian  Library.  It  is  said  that  this  is  the 
portrait  of  which  Vasari  speaks  as  in  the  possession  of  Francesco  Melzi. 


CLASSIFIED    CATALOGUE    OF  PAINTINGS.  263 

The  Museum  of  the  Louvre  once  contained  a  profile  portrait  of 
Leonardo,  a  drawing  in  red  chalk  which  came  from  the  collection  at 
Modena.     {See  Photograph.) 


51. 

Portrait  of  Leonardo.    {Full face.) 

At  Venice. 

In  the  collection  at  the  Academy  of  Fine  Arts  at  Venice  may  be  seen 
a  superb  head,  almost  full  face,  drawn  in  red,  which  is  very  probably 
a  portrait  of  Leonardo  in  his  advanced  age.  Bossi  has  engraved 
it  in  his  "  Cenacolo,"  and  there  is  a  copy  in  black  chalk  among  the 
drawings  belonging  to  the  King  of  the  Netherlands. 


52. 

Portrait  of  Leonardo. 

In  the  Esterhazy  Gallery  at  Vienna. 

This  portrait  represents  Leonardo  holding  a  letter  in  his  hand,  on  which 
is  written  :  "  A  Maria  Ant  della  Torre  Leonardo  di  Piero  da  Vinci 
manda  il  ritratto."  It  ought  to  be — A  Marc-Ant.  M.  Viardot  declares 
this  portrait  to  be  absolutely  authentic  ;  but  Count  Gallemberg  has  not 
even  spoken  of  it  in  his  work  composed  at  Vienna  in  1833,  and  published 
in  1834  under  the  title  of  "  Leonardo  da  Vinci." 


SB- 
Portrait  OF  Leonardo. 

At  Milan. 

"  This  is  indeed,"  says  M.  Viardot,  "  the  beautiful  and  venerable  head 
of  the  patriarch-artist." 

It  is  drawn  in  profile  on  paper  with  red  chalk,  and  may  possibly  be  a 
copy  of  that  in  the  Royal  Collection  at  Windsor. 


264  LEONARDO   DA     VINCI. 

54. 

Portrait  of  Leonardo. 
At  Vaprio. 

Counsellor  Pagavi,  in  his  manuscript  memoirs,  refers  to  a  portrait  of 
Leonardo  painted  by  himself,  as  being  in  a  house  known  as  La  Canonica 
di  Vavro  (or  Vaprio),  situated  on  the  Adda. 

This  house  belonged  to  the  Melzi  family,  whom  Leonardo  often  visited 
there,  they  being  among  his  most  intimate  friends. 

The  old  Canonica  d'Aprio  has  resisted  the  destroying  influences  of 
wind  and  rain.  There  are,  however,  no  traces  of  this  painting  discover- 
able therein.  It  has  probably  either  perished  or  been  removed  else- 
where. 

55- 
Portrait  of  Francis  L 

In  this  picture,  which  belongs  to  Mr.  Pocock,  the  king  is  represented  as 
St.  John  the  Baptist. 

The  frame  bears  the  date  15 18.  Leonardo  had  ceased  to  paint  at  the 
later  period  of  his  life,  which  this  date  would  indicate  ;  it  may,  however, 
have  been  added  after  his  death. 

Lithographed  by  Day  and  Haghe. 

56. 

Portrait  of  Mona  Lisa.    (La  Gioconda.) 

In  the  Gallery  of  the  Louvre. 

This  masterpiece,  which  has  been  called  "  the  despair  of  painters," 
is  an  enigma  of  beauty.  It  is  a  portrait  of  the  wife  of  Francesco  del 
Giocondo ;  and  Vasari,  although  an  Italian,  and  speaking  in  that  flowery 
language,  could  not  find  terms  sufficiently  laudatory  in  which  to  express 
his  enthusiasm. 

Francis   I.  bought   this   grand  work  for  4,000  gold   crowns   of  the 


FEMALE    HEAD,    IN    TROFILE. 
From  a  draimngin  the  Royal  Collection^  Windsor  Castle. 


CLASSIFIED    CATALOGUE    OF   PAINTINGS.  265 

currency  of  his  time,  and  equal  to  ;^20,ooo  of  our  present  coinage.  "  La 
Joconde"  might  now  be  sold  for  that  sum  and  yet  be  considered  cheap. 

After  the  "  Last  Supper,"  this  is  the  most  admirable  work  of  Leonardo's 
that  remains  to  us ;  but  like  it,  it  is  a  work  which  each  day  becomes 
more  mysterious  and  more  effaced.  The  background — a  charming  land- 
scape, where  the  blue  sea  is  bordered  by  picturesque  mountains — is 
half  invisible  to  our  eyes,  but  we  can  yet  contemplate  this  delight- 
fully pure  drawing,  we  can  still  admire  these  finely  ideal  forms  so 
delicately  rendered,  we  can  still  feel  enraptured  before  the  ineffable  gaze 
of  these  lucidly  dewy  eyes-,  we  can  still,  like  the  contemporaries  of 
Francis  I.,  fall  into  a  dream  before  the  infinitely  mysterious  smile  ;  but 
where  now  are  the  warm  tones  and  life-like  flesh-tints,  the  vivid  carna- 
tions that  once  enchanted  Vasari .?  It  is  with  difficulty  that  we  can  bring 
ourselves  to  be  astonished  now  at  the  hands — "hands  without  parallel 
even  up  to  our  own  time  " — which  are  of  irreproachable  beauty  in  form, 
but  the  colour  of  which  has  almost  vanished  into  night. 

Felibien,  whom  modern  critics  seem  to  regard  with  disdain,  but 
who  will  keep  his  place  among  art  historians,  had  never  seen  anything 
more  finished  or  better  expressed  than  "  La  Gioconda."  "  It  has  so  much 
grace,  and  such  sweetness  in  the  eyes  and  the  features,  that  it  appears 
almost  living ;  and  it  seems  to  one  who  sees  this  portrait,  that  it  is  of  a 
woman  who  takes  pleasure  in  being  admired."  This  is  concisely  and 
comprehensively  written. 

"  The  work  of  Leonardo  is  a  marvel,  a  thing  more  divine  than 
human."  Thus  spoke  Vasari,  and  justly.  In  the  presence  of  so  won- 
derful a  painting  one  endeavours  to  calculate  the  time  that  was  con- 
sumed in  its  execution ;  it  may  be,  one  thinks,  that  the  artist  yielded  to 
the  fascination  he  so  well  displayed,  and  that  he  prolonged  at  pleasure 
the  luxury  of  a  tete-d-tete  with  this  charming  woman  ;  it  may  be  that  he 
had,  in  fact,  great  difficulty  in  expressing  the  proud  serenity  and  pro- 
vocation contained  in  this  face,  the  smile  of  which  sometimes  appears 
almost  unearthly,  and  seems  to  magnetize  us  with  its  voluptuous  attrac- 
tion. We  fancy  that  after  having  finished  the  drawing  with  much 
delicacy,  and  shaded  it  off  into  almost  imperceptible  obscurity,  and 
having  thus  approached  and  then  withdrawn,  as  it  were,  the  artist  had 
wished  to  follow  into  mystery  his  recoiling  half-tints,  to  hide  from  our 
eyes  in  a  veil  of  mist  the  lovely  figure,  until  it  appears  at  last  as  a  dream 


266  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI. 

in  the  midst  of  a  fairy  land,  surrounded  by  small  blue  rocky  mountains, 
pointed  sharply  and  carved  in  crystal,  like  stalactites  reversed  towards 
the  sky. 

The  Royal  Museum  of  Madrid  possesses  a  copy  of  this  portrait,  in  which 
the  background  is  formed  of  a  dark  curtain.  It  is  said  that  this  copy  is 
by  Leonardo  himself;  but  he  rarely  copied  anything,  much  more  his  own 
pictures ;  moreover,  this  copy  of  Madrid  is  too  well  preserved  to  have  been 
painted  by  Leonardo.  There  are  others,  in  England,  in  Germany,  and 
elsewhere,  which  are  quite  as  beautiful  as  that  at  Madrid,  but  which  are 
not  from  the  hand  of  the  master  himself. 

Passavant  mentions  two  copies,  "  one  which  may  be  found  in  the 
Hermitage  Gallery,  and  another  forming  part  of  the  collection  of  Car- 
dinal Fesch,"  in  which  Mona  Lisa  is  represented  unclothed. 

Engraved  by  Fanchey  ;  by  Massard,  and  in  Landon's  Selection.  {See 
Photograph) 

La  Monaca. 

In  the  Pitti  Palace,  Florence. 

This  half-length  figure  of  a  nun  or  young  girl  wearing  a  hood  is  of 
strange  beauty  and  fascination,  and  shines  vividly  amid  the  many  master- 
pieces which  fill  the  galleries  of  the  Pitti  Palace. 

It  has  been  said  that  this  is  not  the  work  of  Leonardo,  but  of  one 
of  his  scholars.  Oltrocchi,  however,  suggests  that  it  is  a  painting  which 
is  recorded  to  have  been  given  in  1536  to  Cardinal  Salviati  by  a  brother- 
in-law  of  Leonardo.  It  was  found  in  the  collection  of  the  Marquis 
Niccolini,  and,  notwithstanding  the  doubt  that  has  been  expressed,  those 
who  see  it  feel  that  it  is  one  of  the  most  poetic  creations  of  the  master. 

58. 

Portraits  of  Lodovico  Sforza  and  his  Family. 

It  was  towards  1495  that  Leonardo  painted  the  family  of  Lodovico 
il  Moro  kneeling  on  a  mountain,  representing  Calvary,  which  may  still 
be  seen  in  the  Convent  Delle  Grazie  at  Milan  ;  but  while  the  landscape, 


CLASSIFIED    CATALOGUE    OF  PAINTINGS.  267 

said  to  have  been  painted  by  Montorfano,  is  well  preserved,  the  figures 
of  Leonardo  have  vanished. 

Vasari  says  that  nothing  was  more  beautiful  than  the  heads  of  the 
young  princes  Maximilian  and  Francesco,  who  stood  near  their  mother, 
the  Duchess  Beatrice.  Now  one  can  scarcely  distinguish  anything  of 
these  three  figures,  any  more  than  that  of  the  Duke  Lodovico  Sforza ; 
the  whole  group  is  even  more  faded  than  the  "  Last  Supper,"  which 
is  on  the  opposite  wall. 

The  mediocre  work  survives,  the  work  of  genius  has  perished.  Would 
that  Leonardo,  the  chemist,  had  been  content  with  the  common  oils 
which  Montorfano  employed  ! 

59. 

Portrait  of  Gian  Galeazzo  Sforza. 

At  Milan, 

There  is  a  three-quarter  length  portrait  in  the  Ambrosian  Library  at 
Milan,  representing  the  Duke  while  still  in  his  youth.  This,  which  has 
for  a  long  time  been  thought  to  have  been  intended  for  Lodovico,  is  one 
of  the  best  portraits  by  Leonardo.  Passavant,  in  his  "  Kunstreise  durch 
England,"  refers  to  a  portrait  of  Lodovico  Sforza  drawn  in  black  chalk, 
of  great  natural  beauty,  as  preserved  at  Oxford  ;  this  also  is  attributed 
to  Leonardo,  but  Passavant  believes  it  to  be  "by  one  of  his  best 
pupils." 

60. 

Portrait  of  Isabella  of  Aragon,  wife  of  Galeazzo  Sforza. 

At  Milan: 

This  portrait  is  also  in  the  Ambrosian  Library  at  Milan.  It  is  a  fine 
profile  study,  after  the  manner  of  Holbein  or  Van  Eyck. 

Dr.  Burckhardt  in  his  "  Cicerone  "  says,  "  This  profile  picture  is  beyond 
all  description  beautiful  and  charming,  and  of  a  perfection  in  the  execu- 
tion which  precludes  the  possibility  of  any  artist  but  Leonardo." 


268  LEONARDO  DA     VINCI. 

61. 

Portraits  of  the  Duke  Maximilian  Sforza. 

Two  portraits  of  the  eldest  son  of  *'I1  Moro  "  are  attributed  to  Leonardo  ; 
one  is  in  the  Ambrosian  Library,  the  other  in  the  possession  of  the  Melzi 
family. 

62. 

Portrait  of  a  Woman. 

In  the  Royal  Gallery  at  A  tigsburg. 

This  is  surely  a  sister  of  Mona  Lisa,  a  sister  in  artistic  beauty  and 
perfection,  and  in  its  presence,  as  in  that  of  "  La  Gioconda,"  the  eternal 
ideal  of  this  great  seeker  after  the  perfection  of  female  beauty  seems 
nearly  attained.  The  portrait  shows  her  in  full  face  ;  the  mouth  above 
all  is  of  great  delicacy  and  charm  ;  the  eyes  appear  to  have  been 
retouched,  they  have  not  their  former  expression  ;  the  hair  and  the 
breast  are  only  sketched  out. 

63. 

Portrait  of  Lucrezia  Crivelli.    ("La  Belle  FERRONNifeRE.") 

In  the  Gallery  of  the  Louvre. 

Le  PfeRE  Dan,  in  his  "Tr^sor  des  Merveilles  de  Fontainebleau  "  (1642), 
calls  this  a  portrait  of  a  Duchess  of  Mantua.  M.  Del^cluze,  in 
"  L' Artiste,"  says  that  it  is  a  portrait  of  Ginevra  Benci.  For  a  long 
time,  and  even  now  sometimes,  it  has  also  been  named  La  Belle  Ferron- 
ni^re ;  but  according  to  the  most  trustworthy  historians,  the  mistress 
of  Francis  I.,  to  whom  tradition  has  given  that  name,  was  either  dead 
or  past  an  attractive  age  at  the  time  of  Leonardo's  arrival  in  France. 

Quite  different  from  La  Gioconda,  but  still  as  attractive  in  its  some- 
what stern  placidity,  is  the  portrait  of  Lucrezia  Crivelli,  which  for  so  long 
passed  for  that  of  La  Belle  Ferronni^re. 

In  the  Codex  Atlanticus,  an  autograph  manuscript  of  Leonardo  da 
Vinci,  may  be  read  three  Latin  epigrams  on  Lucrezia  Crivelli,  the  mistress 
of  the  Duke  Lodovico  Sforza.     It  is  known,  moreover,  that  Leonardo  on 


CLASSIFIED    CATALOGUE    OF    PAINTINGS.  269  *'/, 

arriving  at  Milan  painted  a  portrait  of  this  lady.    The  general  opinion  is,        ^^5^2== 
therefore,  that  this  picture  in  the  Louvre  is  really  a  portrait  of  Lucrezia, 
purchased  by  Francis  I. 

It  is  a  beautiful  figure,  painted  in  the  Florentine  manner,  before  the 
Milanese  type  had  become  Leonardo's  ideal.  She  is  represented  in  three- 
quarters  length,  with  soft  silky  hair,  and  a  forehead  encircled  by  a  black 
band  fastened  with  a  diamond,  thus  giving  cause  for  the  popular  name 
of  La  Belle  Ferronniere.  This  beautiful  head  is  full  of  light,  and  has  an 
expression  of  pride  mingled  slightly  with  melancholy.  The  tone  of 
colour  is  warm  and  brilliant,  and  the  whole  drawing  tells  of  Leonardo 
in  each  of  its  soft,  pure  lines  ;  the  shadows,  too,  are  warm  and  almost 
transparent.  Dr.  Waagen  says  that  it  is  the  most  beautiful  picture  by 
Leonardo  that  the  Louvre  possesses. 

Le  Pere  Dan  speaks  of  five  pictures  by  Leonardo  which  he  saw  in  the 
Gallery  of  Paintings  at  Fontainebleau  : 

"  I.  A  figure  of  the  Virgin  with  a  little  Jesus,  who  is  supported  by 
an  angel,  all  seated  in  a  pleasant  landscape. 

"  2.   St.  John  the  Baptist  in  the  desert. 

"  3.   A  half-length  figure  of  Christ. 

"4.  The  portrait  of  a  Duchess  of  Mantua. 

"  5.  The  fifth  in  number  but  the  first  in  value,  a  marvel  of  painting,  is 
the  portrait  of  a  virtuous  Italian  lady  named  Mona  Lisa." 

No.  I  is  unknown ;  No.  2  is  the  St.  John  the  Baptist  of  the  Louvre  ; 
No.  3  is  mentioned  in  the  catalogue  of  Lepicie,  but  is  not  now  to  be 
found  ;  No.  4  is  the  portrait  of  Lucrezia  Crivelli,  and  No.  5  is  Mona 
Lisa,  which  the  good  father  counts  the  first  in  value,  as  a  work  of  mar- 
vellous skill. 

Engraved  by  Bridoux  ;  Lacroix  ;  and  in  Landon's  selection.  (See 
Photograph^ 

64. 

Portrait  of  a  Young  Man. 

In  the  Gallery  at  Florence. 

BOTTARI  believes  that  in  this  he  recognizes  a  portrait  of  Raphael.     The 
catalogue  of  1655  declares  positively  that  it  is  from  the  hand  of  Leonardo  ; 


270  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI. 

thus — "  Ritratto   in   tavola   di    un  giovane,   di   mano   di    Lionardo  da 
Vinci." 

According  to  Passavant,  "  the  colours  of  this  picture  are  laid  on  very 
thickly,  and  in  this  respect  it  resembles  the  head  of  the  Medusa.  It  may 
probably  be  one  of  Leonardo's  early  works." 


65. 

Portrait  of  Ginevra  Benci. 

In  the  Gallery  at  Florence. 

Ginevra  Benci  was  a  graceful  and  charming  girl,  the  daughter  of 
Amerigo  Benci,  who  was  Leonardo's  landlord,  and  with  whom  was  found 
a  sketch  for  the  picture  of  the  Adoration  of  the  Magi.  Ghirlandajo  and 
Leonardo  were  often  inspired  by  the  beauty  and  naivete  of  the  young  girl. 
Ghirlandajo  painted  her  portrait,  among  others,  in  the  fresco  that  he 
executed  for  the  church  of  Santa  Maria  Novella,  towards  1484.  Vasari 
says  that  Leonardo  also  painted  her :  **  Ritrasse  la  Ginevra  d' Amerigo 
Benci,  cosa  bellissima,  ed  abbandono  il  lavoro  a'  frati." 

This  portrait  of  Ginevra  was  in  the  Niccolini  Gallery ;  it  was  bought 
by  the  Duke  of  Tuscany,  and  by  him  placed  in  the  Pitti  Palace.  It  is  a 
lovely  work  in  Leonardo's  first  manner ;  it  seems  as  though  one  could 
detect  the  caresses  of  the  brush  on  those  charming  eyes,  and  lips  that 
open  with  an  arch  smile — that  smile  which  Leonardo  so  often  gives  to 
his  women,  even  to  his  Virgins,  to  render  them  the  more  attractive. 
But  this  portrait  has  been  '^cleaned,"  and  with  the  varnish  many  of 
the  beauties  of  its  first  state  have  disappeared. 

The  historian  of  Italian  painting,  Rosini,  is  said  to  possess  an 
original  portrait  of  Ginevra  Benci  by  Leonardo.  It  is  a  charming  figure, 
in  a  pure  style.  He  has  given  a  representation  of  it,  together  with  one 
of  the  portraits  by  Ghirlandajo,  in  his  work  called  "  Storia  della  pittura 
Italiana,  esposta  coi  monumenti." 

Palmerini  has  engraved  a  portrait  under  the  name  of  Laura,  which  he 
believes  to  be  also  of  Ginevra  Benci  and  by  Sandro  Botticelli.  The 
same  portrait  has  been  reproduced  in  1824  in  a  Florentine  edition  of  the 
works  of  Raphael  Morghen  illustrated  by  Palmerini. 


CLASSIFIED    CATALOGUE    OF   PAINTINGS.  271 

Portrait  of  C^sar  Borgia. 

This  portrait  is  spoken  of  by  M.  le  Comte  de  Betz,  who  had  seen  it  at 
Bologna  in  1845,  i^^  the  Corazza  Collection.  The  Catalogue  of  pictures 
in  this  collection  affirms  that  it  is  a  portrait  of  Caesar  Borgia  painted  by- 
Leonardo  ;  but  we  know  that  the  statements  of  catalogues  must  be 
accepted  with  reservations.  M.  de  Betz,  however,  says  that  he  fully 
recognized  in  this  portrait,  which  is  very  beautiful,  the  manner  of  Leo- 
nardo, and  that  the  eyes  have  been  painted  by  no  one  else ;  they  have 
that  strange  power  of  expression  which  he  alone  could  give,  and  which 
retains  one  so  long  before  his  portraits. 

67. 

Portrait  of  an  Old  Man. 

At  Windsor  Castle. 

This  is  a  beautiful  head  of  an  old  man,  beardless,  drawn  with  great 
delicacy  and  brilliancy.  It  is  attributed  to  Leonardo.  Passavant,  how- 
ever, doubts  its  authenticity. 

68. 

Portrait  of  Charles  VIIL,  or  Charles  d'Amboise. 

///  the  Louvre. 

This  picture  was  at  first  designated  a  portrait  of  Charles  VIIL  ;  after- 
wards of  Louis  XII. ;  and  now,  on  the  authority  of  M.  le  Blanc,  it  is 
said  to  represent  Charles  d'Amboise,  de  Chaumont,  Marechal  of  France, 
and  Governor  of  the  Duchy  of  Milan.  This  favourite  of  Louis  XII. 
died  in  15 11,  at  the  age  of  thirty-nine ;  he  entered  Milan  with  the  king 
in  1509,  and  it  is  suggested  that  this  portrait  was  painted  between  that 
time  and  15 11. 

Both  Waagen  and  Passavant  think  that  this  portrait  ought  to  be 
attributed  to  Jean-Antoine  Beltraffio,  one  of  Leonardo's  best  pupils. 
In  1846  Hillemacher  published  an  etching  of  it,  with  the  inscription, 
"  Charles  VIII,  roy  de  France." 


272  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI. 

69. 

Portrait  of  a  Man,  full  face. 

In  the  Dresden  Gallery. 

This  picture,  which  Jacob  Folkema  has  engraved  so  well  under  the  title 
of  *'  Portrait  d'un  guerrier,  vu  de  face,"  is,  according  to  Lomazzo,  the 
portrait  of  Giovanni  Giacomo  Trivulzio,  painted  after  the  battle  of 
Agnadel,  in  which  General  Trivulzio,  then  sixty-four  years  of  age,  com- 
manded the  vanguard. 

According  to  other  critics  this  is  a  portrait  of  Duke  Lodovico  ;  accord- 
ing to  Passavant,  of  Mr.  Morett,  goldsmith  and  jeweller  to  Henry  VI 1 1, 
of  England.  In  support  of  this  latter  opinion,  it  is  affirmed  that  Hollar 
engraved  the  picture  in  question  in  1647  with  Morett's  name  attached  to 
it ;  it  was  then  in  the  collection  of  Lord  Arundel.  It  may  be  remarked  that 
the  Comte  de  Betz  refers  to  a  portrait  in  the  Pitti  Palace  numbered  207, 
in  the  gallery  called  the  Saloon  of  the  Iliad,  representing  a  man,  which 
is  attributed  to  Leonardo,  and  called  "  L'  Orefice."  May  not  this  be  the 
portrait  that  was  engraved  by  Hollar  1  But  if  there  is  no  agreement  on 
the  subject  of  the  name  of  the  personage  represented  in  the  portrait  of 
the  Dresden  Gallery,  neither  is  there  any  certainty  with  regard  to  the 
name  of  its  painter,  some  declaring  it  to  be  by  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  others 
by  Hans  Holbein.  M,  Viardot,  in  his  "  Musees  d'AUemagne,"  says  that 
the  merits  of  this  picture  are  equal  to  those  of  La  Gioconda  ;  but  other 
art  critics  incline  to  the  opinion  that  it  is  more  like  the  work  of  Holbein  ; 
and  if  it  be  a  portrait  of  Henry  the  Eighth's  goldsmith,  they  are  probably 
correct. 

70. 

Portrait  of  a  Woman. 

At  Antwerp. 

M.  RiGOLLOT  says  that  he  has  seen  this  portrait  in  the  collection  of  an 
amateur  at  Antwerp.  It  represents  a  woman  seated,  and  a  little  less 
than  half  life-size.  The  owner  of  this  picture  attributes  it  to  Leonardo, 
and  believes  it  to  be  a  portrait  of  a  duchess  of  Milan  or  Mantua.  He 
was  so  strongly  convinced  of  its  authenticity  that  he  had  refused  to  sell 


CLASSIFIED    CATALOGUE    OF   PAINTINGS.  273 

it  for  60,000  francs,  and  would  not  take  less  than   100,000.     But  M. 
Rigollot  refrains  from  giving  us  his  own  opinion. 


71- 

Portrait  of  Marc  Antonio  della  Torre. 

At  Milan. 

Marc  Antonio  della  Torre,  professor  of  anatomy,  was  the  master, 
the  idol,  and  the  friend  of  Leonardo.  It  is  not  then  without  reason  that 
his  portrait  is  said  to  have  been  painted  by  his  great  pupil.  But  can  it 
be  that  the  portrait  preserved  at  the  Ambrosian  Library  is  that  of  the 
celebrated  professor,  who  died  of  the  plague  in  1 5 1 2 .?  Nothing  can 
prove  this  assertion,  and,  as  Passavant  says,  "  the  picture  is  too  feeble 
in  design  and  drawing,  the  drapery  too  stiff,  to  allow  of  its  being  attri- 
buted to  Leonardo  ;  it  is  in  oil,  and  has  been  entirely  repainted." 


72. 

Portrait  of  a  Man  in  Red. 

In  the  Dulwich  Gallery. 

In  his  "  Kunstwerke  und  Kiinstler  in  England,"  Dr.  Waagen  speaks 
of  this  portrait,  which  is  attributed  to  Leonardo,  as  being,  in  his  opinion, 
the  work  of  Beltrafho. 

73. 
Head  of  a  Woman. 

In  tJie  Orleans  Gallery. 

Among  the  plates  published  by  Conche,  in  1786,  under  the  title  of 
"  Galerie  du  Palais  Royal,"  may  be  found  a  head  of  a  woman  after  the 
Flora  of  Leonardo,  and  said  to  be  by  the  same  master.  But  the  original 
of  the  "  Head  of  a  Woman"  is  really  in  the  possession  of  Lord  Egerton. 
It  is  attributed  to  Luini,  that  pupil  of  Leonardo  who  has  so  often  deceived 
one  into  thinking  his  work  the  work  of  his  master. 

T 


274  LEONARDO   DA     VINCI. 

Portrait  of  Jeanne  d'Aragon. 

Queen  Jeanne  died  in  1435,  it  therefore  appears  little  probable  that 
the  portrait  in  the  Doria  Gallery,  or  that  which  has  been  discovered  at 
Rome — both  being  attributed  to  Leonardo,  on  the  authority  of  Amo- 
retti — have  any  chance  of  being  rightly  named. 

There  is  not  much  to  confirm  the  opinion  of  Passavant,  who 
asserts  that  the  portrait  in  the  Doria  Gallery  actually  represents  the 
Queen  whose  name  it  bears,  and  that  it  is  also  a  copy  of  Raphael's  pic- 
ture in  the  Louvre,  which  he  thinks  was  made  by  one  of  Leonardo's 
pupils,  who  had  evidently  taken  care  to  give  the  face  that  "  smiling 
expression  peculiar  to  the  school  of  his  master."  "  The  head  is  likewise," 
added  he,  "  very  well  drawn,  as  much  so  as  the  rest  of  the  picture  is  stiff 
in  design  and  dry  in  colour."  How  far  does  this  last  observation  prove 
this  to  be  a  copy  by  a  pupil  of  Leonardo  t  Raphael  was  much  younger 
than  Leonardo  ;  how  then  could  he  have  painted  the  original  portrait  of 
Jeanne  d'Aragon,  who  died  before  the  former  was  born  } 

75. 
Portrait  of  the  Chancellor  Moronl 

But  little  faith  can  be  placed  in  the  portraits  of  his  contemporaries  which 
are  attributed  to  Leonardo  ;  it  is  certain  that  the  greater  number  are  of 
questionable  authenticity.  Leonardo  painted  slowly  and  was  choice 
about  his  models,  not  seeking  for  sitters  beyond  his  patrons,  except  in 
the  case  of  the  most  beautiful.  There  is  mention  of  two  copies  of  the 
portrait  of  Moroni ;  they  represent,  it  is  true,  a  personage  clothed  in  the 
robes  of  a  chancellor,  but  Geronimo  Moroni  was  not  appointed  to  the 
chancellorship  by  Duke  Maximilian  until  after  15 12,  when  Leonardo  was 
no  longer  at  Milan. 

These  two  so-called  portraits  of  Moroni  are,  the  one  at  Parma  in  the 
hands  of  Count  Sauritali,  the  other  at  Milan  with  the  Duke  Scotti 
Gallerati.  The  first  came  from  the  collection  of  the  Duke  Modena,  and 
I  believe  it  to  be  wrongly  attributed  to  Leonardo.  As  for  the  second, 
there  is  no  doubt  of  its  being  quite  unauthentic. 


CLASSIFIED    CATALOGUE    OF  PAINTINGS.  275 

Portrait  of  a  Woman. 

L£PlCl£,  in  the  "  Catalogue  Raisonne,"  speaks  thus  of  this  portrait  — 
"Item. — A  head  of  a  woman  in  profile,  commonly  called  'La  Belle 
Ferronniere.'  She  wears  a  *  toque '  of  red  velvet,  bordered  with  a  kind  of 
embroidery  in  gold,  and  finished  off  at  the  side  by  a  row  of  pearls ;  a 
black  veil  is  fixed  to  the  '  toque,'  and  falls  upon  her  shoulders.  The 
dress  is  of  some  dark  blue  stuff.  The  profile  is  drawn  with  astonishing 
precision,  and  leaves  nothing  to  desire  in  the  finish  of  the  execution." 
So  says  Lepicie  of  the  "  Belle  Ferronniere."  Is  it  really  the  original,  or  is 
it  an  improved  copy }  According  to  M.  E.  Soulie,  assistant-keeper  of  the 
Museum  at  the  Louvre,  "  this  portrait  is  still  preserved  there,  although 
but  little  valued,  it  being  estimated  in  the  inventory  at  150  francs,  and 
at  the  time  of  the  last  classification  it  was  judged  unworthy  of  a  place 
among  the  chefs-d^<envre  of  the  Galleries."  But  the  new  catalogue,  under 
the  number  488,  attributes  this  portrait  to  the  school  of  Leonardo. 

A  Laughing  Boy  with  a  Toy. 

A  PICTURE  bearing  this  title,  and  attributed  to  Leonardo,  was  sold  in 
England,  in  1801,  to  Sir  William  Hamilton  for  £\'^6^.  We  can  find 
no  traces  of  this  painting. 


Part  VI. 
PICTURES   LOST   OR  MISSING. 

E  may  now  say  a  few  words  on  the  missing  pictures  of 
Leonardo  da  Vinci,  some  of  which  are  of  great  importance 
and  interest. 


I. 

A  Roundel. 

{Rotella  del  Fico.) 

Vasari  narrates  that  Leonardo,  while  a  youth,  painted  on  a  round  piece 
of  wood  "reptiles  and  hideous  animals,  which  had  a  most  frightful 
effect."  This  is  said  to  have  been  bought  by  the  Duke  of  Milan  for 
three  hundred  ducats  ;  but  it  is  entirely  lost.     {See  page  7.) 

2. 

Adam  and  Eve. 

Vasari  refers  to  this  sketch  as  belonging  in  his  time  to  Ottavio  de' 
Medici ;  it  was  a  work  of  Leonardo's  youth,  which  he  had  drawn  in 
black  and  white  with  the  brush,  and  representing  Adam  and  Eve  in  the 
earthly  Paradise.  It  was  intended  as  a  design  for  some  tapestry  for  the 
King  of  Portugal. 

3. 

The  Nativity  of  Our  Lord. 

(Probably  an  Altar-piece^^ 

The  Duke  of  Milan,  Lodovico  Sforza,  presented  this  to  the  Emperor 
Maximilian  on  the  occasion  of  his  marriage  to  Blance-Maria  Sforza,  the 


PICTURES  LOST   OR    MISSING.  277 

duke's  niece.  It  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  all  the  gems  which 
the  Emperor  then  received. 

4. 

An  Angel. 

According  to  Vasari,  Duke  Cosimo  de'  Medici  possessed  a  figure  of. 
an  angel  painted  by  Leonardo  da  Vinci.  "  The  angel  comes  towards  you 
with  uplifted  arms,  which  show  a  most  admirable  knowledge  of  fore- 
shortening, in  the  drawing  from  the  shoulder  to  the  elbow."  What  has 
become  of  this  picture,  probably  the  Archangel  St.  Michael }  M. 
Rigollot  says  that  after  having  been  perhaps  banished  to  some  villa 
during  the  regency  of  the  grand-duchesses  of  Tuscany,  it  was  most 
likely  sold  by  auction  to  a  broker  with  the  inferior  works  which  were 
put  away  in  the  garrets  of  the  Pitti  Palace,  and  after  having  been  re- 
stored, resold  to  a  Russian  or  an  Englishman. 

Passavant,  in  his  manuscript  notes,  says,  "  The  Grand-Duke  of 
Tuscany,  having  learnt  all  these  circumstances,  desired  to  buy  this 
picture  back  again,  but  as  the  price  demanded  was  excessive,  he  refused 
to  make  the  purchase." 

5. 

Two  Children  playing  with  a  Lamb. 

This  is  what  Raphael  Mengs  calls  a  "  picture  which  is  unfinished,  but 
certainly  in  Leonardo's  best  style.  Besides  the  merits  of  the  chiar- 
oscuro, there  is  a  grace  in  the  agreeable  movements  of  the  figures  which 
recalls  the  manner  of  Correggio."  Conca  also  mentions  this  work :  "  It 
is,"  says  he,  "  a  beautiful  thing."  Mengs  had  seen  it  in  the  cabinet  of 
the  Princess  of  the  Asturias,  and  Conca  says  that  it  was  in  the  Royal 
Palace  at  Madrid.  May  it  not  be  the  picture  of  the  Aguado  Gallery, 
described  as  "No.  341.  Two  children  playing  on  a  green  sward 
enamelled  with  flowers  } "  This  picture  was  bought  for  4000  francs  at 
the  sale  of  that  gallery  in  1843,  but  by  whom  is  not  known. 

6. 

Conception  of  the  Virgin. 

This  painting  was  found  in  the  church  of  San  Francesco  at  Milan, 
according  to  Lomazzo,  who  says,  "  The  celestial  character  of  virginity 


278  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI. 

imparted  to  the  Madonna  is  much  admired."  It  is  said  that  this 
work  is  now  in  England.  Professor  Mussi  formerly  possessed  the 
sketch  for  the  head  ;  it  was  in  black  chalk,  touched  with  the  pencil  and 
heightened  the  lights.  ("  Leonardo  da  Vinci/'  von  Hugo,  Grafen  von 
Gallemberg,"  pp.  225  and  230.) 

Luini,  perhaps,  was  the  painter  of  the  "  Conception,"  the  sketch  for 
which  belonged  to  M.  Mussi.  Vasari  was  deceived  more  than  once  :  this 
makes  it  probable  that  Lomazzo  was  also. 

7. 

Virgin  Suckling  the  Infant  Jesus. 

In  the  edition  of  Vasari's  works  published  at  Sienna  in  1794  there  is  a 
note  by  G.  della  Valle  :  "  There  is  a  picture  of  the  Virgin  suckling  the 
Holy  Child,  by  Leonardo,  in  the  church  of  Madonna  di  Campagna  at 
Piacenza,  which  was  bought  by  Prince  Belgiojoso,  but  is  now  at  Milan, 
in  the  collection  of  the  Duke  Litta  Visconti  Aresi."  "  The  execution 
and  the  style  of  the  picture,"  says  Passavant,  ''  is  that  of  the  school 
of  Van  Eyck,  which  appears  to  have  had  some  influence  over  Leonardo 
during  his  residence  in  Milan.  The  work  has  been  damaged,  but  retouched 
in  parts.  It  was  engraved  in  1828  by  Jacopo  Bernardi."  Lanzi  speaks 
of  a  Madonna  in  the  palace  of  the  Belgiojoso  d'Este  family,  "which 
certainly  came  from  the  hand  of  Leonardo."  Perhaps  this  is  the  one  of 
which  Della  Valle  makes  mention  in  the  note  above  referred  to,  and  it 
may  be  the  same  as  that  indicated  by  I'Anonyme  de  Morelli,  who  saw 
at  the  house  of  Michael  Contarini,  at  Venice,  in  1543,  a  picture  of  the 
Virgin  suckling  her  child,  by  Leonardo  da  Vinci. 

Waagen  says,  "There  is  a  little  oval  picture  of  the  same  subject  at 
Blenheim  Palace,  in  which  the  Virgin  has  a  sad  expression,  though  full 
of  nobility.  This  work  is  treated  with  much  delicacy,  but  has  been 
greatly  defaced  ;  it  is  attributed  to  Leonardo,  yet  I  think  it  must  be  the 
production  of  Beltraffio."      ("  Kunst  und  Kunstwerke  in  England,"  v.  2.) 

8. 

Neptune. 

Vasari  mentions  that  in  his  time,  Messer  Giovanni  Gaddi  possessed  a 
drawing  by  Leonardo  representing  Neptune  surrounded  by  sea-gods. 
This  drawing  was  made  for  Antonio  Segui,  and  is  also  missing. 


PICTURES  LOST  OR  MISSING.  279 

'  9- 

Pomona. 

According  to  Lomazzo,  there  was  at  Fontainebleau  a  picture  of 
Pomona,  which  was  said  to  be  by  Leonardo.  It  was  especially  famous 
for  the  execution  of  the  triple  veil  with  which  she  is  covered. 

It  is  not  known  what  has  become  of  it,  for  there  is  no  mention  of 
such  a  work  in  the  catalogues  of  the  various  royal  galleries  of  France. 

10. 

Virgin  of  Parma. 

Lanzi  says  that  this  picture,  which  he  saw  at  Parma  in  the  house  of 
Count  Sanvitali,  was  marked  with  the  monogram  L.  V.,  and,  according 
to  Gallemberg,  one  may  read :  "  Leonardo  Vinci  fece,  1492."  It  repre- 
sents the  Virgin,  the  Holy  Child,  St.  John,  and  St.  Michael  the  Arch- 
angel. What  has  become  of  this  work,  the  authenticity  of  which 
appears  certain  } 

II. 

Portrait  of  Cecilia  Gallerani. 

Cecilia  Gallerani  was  a  mistress  of  Lodovico  Sforza,  and  married 
Count  Pergamino  ;  but  history,  or  a  chronicle,  affirms  that  the  duke  did 
not  cease  to  love  her  on  that  account.  Leonardo  painted  her  portrait 
when  he  was  at  the  court  of  Milan  ;  and  poets  made  sonnets  in  honour 
of  the  duke,  his  mistress,  and,  above  all,  of  the  painter.  The  Florentine 
Bellincioni  is  distinguished  among  all  the  others  by  his  poetic  laudations. 
Of  all  this,  however,  there  remains  no  more  than  the  doubtful  copies  of 
the  portrait  and  the  sonnet  by  Bellincioni.  It  is  said  that  the  original 
portrait  of  the  beautiful  Cecilia  was,  during  the  last  century,  in  the 
possession  of  the  Marquis  Boursane  at  Milan.  But  where  is  it  now } 
There  was  formerly  an  ancient  copy  at  the  Ambrosian  Library ;  and  in 
the  Pinacothek  at  Munich  there  is  a  Saint  Cecilia  which  had  previously 
been  the  property  of  Professor  Franchi,  and  passes  for  a  copy  by  one 
of  Leonardo's  pupils  of  the  very  un-saint-like  Cecilia  Gallerani.  There 
is  also  a  second  original  portrait  of  Cecilia,  preserved  by  the  Pallavicini 
family  of  San  Calocero,  and  painted  at  the  height  of  her  glory. 


28o  LEONARDO   DA     VINCI. 

12. 

Madonna  of  the  Rose. 

Leonardo  painted  this  Madonna  for  the  same  mistress  of  Lodovico 
Sforza.  In  it  the  Virgin  is  represented  urging  the  infant  Jesus  to  bless 
a  rose.  Perhaps  this  is  an  allegory,  a  madrigal  in  painting  ;  and  this 
rose  may  be  emblematic  of  the  beautiful  Cecilia.  Why  not  ?  In  the 
time  of  the  Duke  Lodovico,  the  sacred  and  profane  went  hand  in  hand. 

The  "  Madonna  of  the  Rose "  might  have  been  seen  at  the  house  of 
a  wine  merchant  named  Giuseppe  Radici  ;  but  it  is  strange  that  from 
the  duke's  palace  it  should  have  passed  behind  the  counter.  At  what 
time,  and  how  far  has  it  gone  now .''  It  is  reckoned  as  one  of  the  most 
marvellously  executed  of  Leonardo's  pictures ;  the  frame  bears  the 
following  inscription:  Per  Cecilia^  qual  te  orna^  lauda,  eadora,  El  tuo  unico 
figliolo,  0  beata  Vii^gine,  exora.  A  canon  of  Milan  named  Foglia  pos- 
sesses a  copy  of  this  Madonna. 

Rio  says  that  a  portrait  of  Cecilia  Gallerani,  as  St.  Cecilia,  was  at 
Milan,  in  the  possession  of  Professor  Franchi,  and  that  another  was 
preserved  by  the  Pallavicini  of  San  Calocero. 

13- 

Ten  Figures  of  Aged  People. 

According  to  M.  E.  Souli6,  a  manuscript  inventory  made  in  1709  or 
1 7 10,  by  Bailly,  keeper  of  the  King's  pictures,  refers,  among  others 
mentioned  by  Lepici6,  to  "  a  picture  by  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  representing 
eight  figures  of  men  and  women  at  half-length,  surrounding  the  figures 
of  an  old  man  and  woman  apparently  caressing  one  another ;  all  of 
about  54  centimetres  in  height,  on  a  surface  90  centimetres  in  width, 
painted  on  wood  in  a  gilded  frame."  This  picture  is  not  now  to  be 
found  in  any  French  gallery. 

14. 

Bust  of  a  Saint. 

M.  DE  Chennevieres  has  informed  us  that  "  in  the  catalogue  of  the 
pictures  of  M.  Crozat,  Baron  de  Thiers,  which  were  sold  to  the  Em- 


PICTURES  LOST  OR  MISSING.  281 

press  of  Russia,  there  is  mention  of  a  Buste  de  Saint  attributed  to 
Leonardo." 

IS- 

Madonna  della  Caraffa. 

This  is  known  to  us  principally  from  the  praises  which  Leonardo  has 
bestowed  upon  it,  speaking  with  enthusiasm  of  the  vase  containing 
flowers  sprinkled  with  dew,  ^'  so  fresh  that  one  could  believe  them  the 
work  of  nature." 

This  picture  is  one  of  those  painted  during  Leonardo's  youth,  before 
he  had  quitted  Florence ;  it  formerly  belonged  to  Clement  VI IL,  and 
was  once  in  the  Borghese  Palace  at  Rome — whence  it  has  disappeared 
since  1846.  D'Argenville,  in  his  "Vies  des  Peintres,"  says  it  was  at 
the  Vatican. 

16. 

The  Virgin  and  Child. 

A  PICTURE  thus  designated  is  mentioned  in  the  historical  and  chrono- 
logical catalogue  of  the  works  collected  at  the  National  Depots  for 
French  Antiquities,  by  Alexander  Lenoir,  as  a  work  of  Leonardo  da 
Vinci ;  it  is  numbered  7  in  the  list  addressed  to  the  Committee  of 
Public  Instruction,  with  the  following  note  appended :  "  Originally  the 
property  of  some  Dominicans,  afterwards  transferred  to  the  Museum  ; 
it  represents  the  Virgin  and  Jesus,  and  is  painted  on  copper,  silvered  by 
a  preparation  much  used  among  artists  of  the  Florentine  school,  but 
which  has  the  disadvantage  of  causing  the  painting  to  turn  black  and 
peel  off  after  a  certain  time ;  of  this  the  picture  we  are  speaking  of  is 
an  example." 

17. 

Madonnas  at  Florence. 

According  to  Gaye  and  Bottari,  Leonardo  painted  two  Madonnas 
when  he  was  at  Florence,  and  these  were  said  to  be  almost  finished  in 
1 507  ;  they  are  now  apparently  lost. 


FAC-SIMILE  OF  HAND-WRITING  OF  LEONARDO. 


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DRAWINGS  AND  SKETCHES. 

HERE  are  several  collections  of  drawings  by  Leonardo 
da   Vinci.     The  most  important  are   in  the  Ambrosian 
Library,  Milan  ;  the  Gallery  of  the  Louvre,  Paris ;  the 
Royal  Gallery,  Florence ;  the  Albertina  Gallery,  Vienna 
the  Academy,  Venice  ;  the  Print  Room,  British  Museum 
the  Royal  Library,  Windsor  Castle ;    Christ  Church  College,  Oxford 
the  Duke  of  Devonshire's  Library ;  the  Earl  of  Warwick's  Collection 
and  that  of  Mr.  Malcolm,  of  Poltalloch. 


THE  AMBROSIAN  LIBRARY,  MILAN, 

Contains,  among  the  more  important  drawings,  the  following  Twenty- 
four  Subjects  selected  from  the  "  Codice  Atlantico "  to  illustrate  the 
Saggio  delle  Opere  di  Leonardo  da  Vinci.^ 

1.  Fac-simile  of  the  autograph  letter  sent  by  Leonardo  to  Lodovico 
il  Moro,  about  1483. 

2.  Rough  sketch  and  map  of  Milan  and  its  environs. 

3.  Various  machines  for  raising  water. 

4.  A  canal  with  sluices  and  weirs,  and  details  of  same. 

5.  Plan  for  excavating  and  embanking  a  canal,  with  long  MS.  details. 

6.  Coloured   sketch   for   delivery   of   water   from    the    canal    of    S. 
Cristoforo. 


*  Milan,  1872, 


284  LEONARDO   DA     VINCI. 

7.  Sketch  map  of  the  Red  Sea  and  the  Mediterranean  with  MS.  notes 
as  to  their  respective  levels. 

8.  Construction  of  military  bridges,  with  various  details. 

9.  Military  bridge  with  details  of  knots ;  sketches  of  balestre ;  fish- 
traps. 

10.  Details  of  windlasses,  with  varieties  of  toothing,  and  palls. 
A  stone-thrower  of  unusual  size. 

11.  Rough  sketch,  and  finished  drawing  of  a  stone-throwing  machine 
worked  by  a  tread-wheel. 

12.  Machine  for  raising  heavy  bodies,  such  as  a  stone  column. 
Device  for  flinging  down  scaling  ladders  raised  against  a  wall. 

13.  Numerous  details  of  machinery  for  transferring  vertical  and 
horizontal  motion. 

Machine  of  uncertain  use,  possibly  a  scheme  for  a  mitrailleuse. 

14.  Machine  for  cloth-dressing,  and  details  of  same. 

15.  Machine  for  cutting  marble,  with  numerous  details  and  notes. 

16.  Projects  for  aerial  machines  ;  parachute  ;  lamps  ;  turning-lathe. 

17.  Machine  to  regulate  the  shape  of  iron  bars  to  be  used  for  cannon. 

18.  Designs  for  artificial  wings,  with  MS.  explanations. 

19.  Drawings  referring  to  experiments  on  attrition. 

20.  Machine  for  throwing  silk. 

21.  Details  of  clockwork,  with  new  kind  of  escapement. 

22.  Hydrographic  map  of  the  Loire  and  its  affluents ;  kneeling 
female  ;  male  head  ;  geometric  measurements. 

23.  Balestra,  or  stone-thrower,  mounted  on  wheeled  carriage. 

24.  Sketches  of  the  equestrian  statue  of  Sforza,  and  case  for  trans- 
porting same. 

IN  THE   LOUVRE,  PARIS. 

Among  the  more  important  are — 

Head  of  a  Young  man,  in  profile,  wearing  a  leather  cap.  A  highly- 
finished  pen-and-ink  drawing,  washed  with  ink ;  engraved  by  M.  Caylus. 

Head  of  a  Child,  profile,  and  slightly  turned  to  the  left,  in  pencil, 
and  heightened  with  white  on  pale  green  paper.  This  has  served  as  a 
study  for  the  infant  Jesus  in  "  La  Vierge  aux  Rochers." 

Head  of  a  young  Man,  in  profile,  turned  towards  the  right,  with  a 


HEAD     OF     A     MAN,     IN     PROFILE. 
From  a  drawitifr  in  the  Bntish  Museum. 


DRAWINGS   AND   SKETCHES.  285 

crown  of  oak-leaves  wreathed  among  his  hair ;  finished  with  silver  point 
and  black  lead  pencil  on  prepared  paper. 

Head  of  an  Aged  Man,  three-quarters,  and  turning  towards  the  left. 
In  red  chalk ;  engraved  by  Caylus. 

The  Bust  of  a  Young  Man,  three-quarters,  turned  towards  the  right ; 
with  luxuriously  abundant  hair.     In  red  chalk. 

Head  of  a  Woman,  nearly  full  face,  with  glance  directed  towards  the 
left.  Above,  to  the  right,  a  profile  of  a  young  man.  In  silver  point, 
on  paper  tinted  with  pale  blue. 

Bust  of  a  Woman,  full  face,  looking  towards  the  right.  Drapery  sur- 
rounds the  head,  and  forms,  in  its  fall,  a  knot  on  either  side.  In  silver 
point,  washed  and  heightened  with  white  on  sea-green  tinted  paper. 

Study  of  Drapery,  enveloping  the  lower  part  of  the  body  of  a  person 
in  a  sitting  posture.     Painted  in  black  and  white  on  fine  canvas. 

Portrait  of  a  Young  Woman,  life-sized,  seen  to  the  bust.  The  head  is 
in  profile,  and  turned  towards  the  right ;  the  hair  is  waved,  and  falls  upon 
the  shoulders.  The  bust,  in  three-quarters,  is  covered  with  a  shining  robe 
with  large  sleeves  ;  the  right  hand  reposes  on  the  left  arm.  This  sketch, 
which  has  been  executed  with  great  care  by  the  master  himself,  is  drawn 
in  black  lead  and  red  chalk,  heightened  by  touches  of  pastel.  It  was 
formerly  in  the  Calderara  Pino  Gallery  at  Milan,  and  also  in  the  Vallardi 
Collection,  and  was  acquired  at  a  public  sale  in  1 860,  for  \2Q0  francs. 

Study  of  the  Virgin,  for  the  picture  of  the  Holy  Family,  representing 
the  Virgin  seated  on  the  knees  of  St.  Anne,  in  the  Louvre.  Drawn  in 
black  lead,  and  washed  with  Indian  ink,  and  heightened  with  white  on 
paper  slightly  tinted  with  bister.     Octagon  in  form. 

A  beatitifid  drawing^  which,  however,  appears  to  have  been  entirely  retouched  by  the 
hand  of  some  modern  master.  It  was  in  the  collectio?i  of  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence,  and 
numbered  182  in  the  Catalogue  of  the  sale  of  that  belonging  to  the  King  of  Holland, 
but  was  afterwards  obtained  through  Mr.  Samuel  Woodburn,  at  the  price  of  ^^^o  francs. 


IN  THE  ROYAL  GALLERY,  FLORENCE, 

There  is  a  large  collection,  most  of  which  have  been  photographed  by 
Alinari.     Among  them  are — 
A  Dragon  attacking  a  Lion. 


286  LEONARDO   DA    VINCI. 

Portrait  of  a  Man  with  curling  hair,  profile. 

Female  Head  with  jewelled  head-dress,  profile. 

A  Mother  and  Child  with  a  Cat. 

Female  Head,  in  profile  looking  to  right. 

Portrait  of  a  Man  wearing  a  cap,  profile. 

Study  for  Drapery  of  a  kneeling  figure. 

Female  Head,  full  face.         Head  of  an  Old  Man,  full  face. 

Study  for  Drapery  of  a  seated  figure. 

Study  of  the  Head  of  Mona  Lisa. 

Study  for  Drapery  of  a  standing  figure. 

Head  of  a  Man  crowned  with  laurel,  profile. 

Female  Head,  three-quarter  face. 

Study  for  La  Belle  Ferronni^re.     Study  of  a  Hand  and  Fore-arm. 

Head  of  a  Man,  full  face,  with  Leonardo's  handwriting. 

Three  grotesque  Heads  of  Old  Persons. 

Anatomical  Studies,  five  sheets  (one,  David  slaying  the  Lion). 

Two  Knights  on  Horseback  and  four  Foot  Soldiers. 


IN  THE   ALBERTINA   GALLERY,   VIENNA. 

The  Visitation.         Head  of  Christ. 
Head  of  St.  Anne.         Head  of  the  Virgin. 
Ascension  of  Mary  Magdalene.         Head  of  a  Monk. 
Head  of  an  Old  Man.         Portrait  of  Savonarola. 
Caricatures  (two  sheets).         Study  of  Two  Horses. 
Study  of  Drapery.         Seven  Studies  of  Heads. 


IN  THE  ACADEMY  OF  THE   FINE   ARTS,  VENICE. 

There   are   thirty-three   drawings   by   Leonardo   in    this    collection 
among  the  principal  subjects  we  find — 

A  portrait  of  Leonardo,  with  a  large  beard. 

A  Head  of  Christ  (small),  bowed  down  and  crowned  with  thorns. 

A  Sketch  for  the  St.  Anne  of  the  Louvre,  very  charming. 


DRAWINGS   AND   SKETCHES.  287 

Three  Dancing  Figures,  after  the  antique. 

A  sheet  of  caricatures,  among  which  may  be  traced  those  of  Francis  I., 
Savonarola,  and  some  Florentine  Poets. 

Studies  of  the  Infant  Jesus,  smiling  at  His  Mother,  while  he  is 
caressing  a  Lamb. 

Sheets  of  Figures  showing  the  proportions  of  the  human  body. 

A  sheet  of  Flowers,  drawn  from  nature,  and  highly  finished. 

A  rough  Sketch  representing  cavaliers  fighting  with  foot  soldiers, 
among  whom  are  some  skeletons — probably  studies  for  the  cartoon  of 
the  "  Battle  of  Anghiari." 


IN  THE  BRITISH  MUSEUM. 

Head  of  a  Man  in  profile.    Drawn  with  silver  point  on  blue  paper. 

Head  of  a  Man,  full  face.  Highly-finished  pen  drawing  on  blue 
paper,  heightened  with  white. 

A  Sheet  containing  three  Caricature  Heads. 

Aged  Men  and  Women,  two  drawings.     Grotesques. 

Study  of  a  Virgin  and  Child  and  Cat  and  other  compositions  (three 
sheets). 

A  Group  of  Monsters  with  figure  of  a  man  holding  a  shield. 

Slight  sketch  of  Horsemen. 

A  sheet  representing  various  engines  of  war ;  with  handwriting. 

Head  of  a  Man  in  profile.     Red  chalk  drawing  on  white  paper. 

Nude  Figure  of  a  Young  Man  holding  a  staff. 

Virgin  and  Child,  the  latter  with  his  right  hand  raised  as  in  benedic- 
tion.    Pen  drawing,  heightened  with  white,  on  green  paper. 

A  Woman  and  Child  and  three  profiles  (two  sheets). 

Study  of  a  Skull  of  a  Horse. 


IN   THE  ROYAL  COLLECTION,  WINDSOR  CASTLE. 

There  are  several  portfolios  of  drawings  by  Leonardo,  of  which  the 
following  are  the  most  noteworthy. 

Leonardo's  own  Portrait. 
Head  of  Woman,  full-face. 


288  LEONARDO    DA     VINCI. 

Profile  of  a  Youth. 

Head  of  a  Man  with  a  malignant  expression. 

Study  for  the  St.  Anne. 

A  beautiful  Youthful  Head  with  a  longing  expression. 

Study  of  a  Male  Head  in  red  chalk. 

A  Profile  Head  of  a  Child. 

A  Male  Head,  with  large  and  noble  features. 

A  page  of  studies  of  numerous  Profile  Heads. 

First  outlines  of  a  Virgin  and  Child  and  St.  John. 

Beautiful  Male  and  Female  Profiles  (on  reverse  of  above). 

Four  Caricatures,  and  a  Head  wreathed  with  oak-leaves. 

A  young  Girl  in  profile.     On  blue  paper  with  silver  point. 

A  Female  Head,  three-quarter  face.    Similar  style  to  foregoing. 

A  Youth  resting  on  a  Spear,  and  pointing  forward  with  one  hand. 

Part  of  a  Male  Figure,  in  red  chalk. 

Various  Skulls,  two  entire  and  two  divided. 

A  beautiful  Youth  in  profile.     Slight  pen  drawing. 

A  Knight  in  full  gallop,  an  Archer,  and  a  War  Chariot. 

A  sheet  of  Elephants  and  Horsemen. 

A  Horseman  in  an  animated  attitude  in  full  gallop.  Probably  a  study 
for  the  Sforza  monument. 

A  sheet  of  studies  of  Oxen  and  Asses. 

Studies  of  Horsemen,  and  a  Man  on  foot  below.  Probably  a  study  for 
the  celebrated  cartoon  of  the  "  Combat  of  Horsemen." 

Neptune  restraining  his  Sea-Horses. 

Two  studies  of  Horses. 

Sketch  for  the  Monument  of  Francesco  Sforza. 

Studies  of  Horses. 

Four  drawings  of  St.  George  and  the  Dragon. 

Various  designs  for  the  Sforza  monument. 

Dogs  and  Cats  Fighting. 

Various  Landscapes. 

A  youthful  Figure  seated  ;   a  Prisoner  in  rags. 

A  sheet  of  studies  containing  two  groups  of  the  Virgin  and  Child  and 
St.  John,  and  two  versions  of  St.  John  and  the  Lamb. 

A  sheet  of  studies  of  a  Mother  and  Child,  a  Child  with  a  Cat,  two 
Children  with  Cats,  and  two  Children  embracing. 


FEMALE   HEAD,    THREE-QUARTER    FACE. 
From  a  drawing  in  the  Royal  Collection,    Windsor  Castle. 


DRAWINGS   AND    SKETCHES.  289 

A  drawing  of  a  Hand. 

Study  for  the  foreshortened  foot  of  Pomona  in  the  picture  by  Fran- 
cesco Melzi,  at  BerHn. 

A  sheet  of  excellent  studies  of  Hands  for  the  Mona  Lisa. 

Study  for  the  Drapery  of  a  Kneeling  Figure. 

Study  of  a  Sleeve. 

Various  studies  of  Foliage. 

Studies  for  the  Coiffure  of  Leda. 

Study  of  an  old  Camel. 

A  number  of  Men  raising  a  ponderous  Weight. 

Two  Heads,  on  tinted  paper. 

An  Allegory. 

Speaking  of  this  magnificent  collection  of  drawings,  Herr  Passavant 
says,  "Three  volumes  of  Original  Drawings,  a  selection  from  which,  entitled 
'  Imitations  of  Original  Designs,  by  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  in  his  Majesty's 
Collection,' was  published  by  John  Chamberlaine  in  1796.    .     .     .     These 
drawings  by  Leonardo  are  sketched  either  in  red  or  black  chalk,  or  in 
pencil  upon  tinted  paper.     Some  are  drawn  with  the  pen;  but  only  a 
few  in  water  colours  or  heightened  with  white.     Among  the  portraits, 
his  own,  taken  in  profile,  is  the  most  interesting,  drawn  with  red  chalk, 
two-thirds  the  size  of  life.     In  Bartolozzi's  print  from  this  drawing  the 
fine  intellectual  expression  and  fire  of  the  eye  is  but  feebly  rendered. 
Generally  speaking,  his  dotted  engravings  give  no  adequate  idea  of  this 
kind  of  drawing.     The  other  drawings  represent  a  variety  of  subjects  : 
figures,  caricatures,  horses,  and  other  animals,  with  some  fine  anatomical 
studies  of  these  latter.     A   small  sketch,  also,  of  an    elephant   battle, 
spiritedly  drawn   on   red  chalk ;   added   to   these,    several   designs    for 
optics,  hydraulics,  and  perspective  ;  a  foundry,  with  all  kinds  of  military 
machines,  and  a  drawing  showing  the  effects  of  a  bomb  which  is  bursting 
in  a  tower;  maps   of  the  country,    following   the   course    of  different 
rivers — one  of  the  Arno,  another  of  the  Vallambrosa,  and  the  country 
between  Volterra  and  Livorno  ;  the  effects  of  an  inundation,  as  drawn  at 
the  time  from   nature ;  sketches   of  mountains,   plants,  &c.,  which   he 
introduced  into  his  paintings ;  also  the  plan  for  some  work,  explained 
by  sketches  of  the  subject.     Besides  these,  in  this  general  workshop  of 
the  Muses,  we  also  meet  with  MSS.  of  music,  the  meaning  of  each  note 

U 


290  DRAWINGS   AND    SKETCHES. 

given  beneath  in  Leonardo's  own  hand.  Lastly,  a  number  of  pen 
drawings  of  anatomical  subjects,  with  an  explanatory  text,  which, 
according  to  this  master's  usual  method,  is  written  from  the  right  hand 
to  the  left.  These  sketches  belong  to  *A  Treatise  on  Anatomy,'  and 
formed  one  of  the  thirteen  books  which  the  Chevalier  Melzi,  the  friend 
who  accompanied  him  to  France,  compiled  from  his  effects  after  his 
death.  Three  of  these  numbers  fell  into  the  possession  of  Pompeo 
Leoni,  sculptor  to  the  King  of  Spain,  one  of  which,  with  a  gilt  inscrip- 
tion, '  Disegni  di  Leonardo  da  Vinci  restaurati  da  Pompeo  Leoni,'  was 
probably  purchased  by  the  Earl  of  Arundel  in  1636,  at  the  time  when 
this  nobleman  was  ambassador  from  Charles  L  to  the  Emperor 
Ferdinand  IL  of  Austria.  This  book,  and  the  portrait  by  Holbein, 
were  found,  upon  the  accession  of  George  IIL,  in  Queen  Caroline's 
room  at  Kensington  Palace." 

AT  CHRIST  CHURCH  COLLEGE,  OXFORD. 

Virgin  and  Child  ;  half-length,  half-life  size. 
Two  sheets  of  Allegories. 
A  sheet  of  studies  for  a  Machine. 
Horseman  and  Prostrate  Figure. 
Studies  of  Crossbows.     (On  reverse  of  above.) 

Lodovico  Sforza,  a  fine  portrait.     In  black  chalk,  life  size,  but  pro- 
bably by  a  scholar  of  Leonardo's. 

AT  CHATSWORTH  (Duke  of  Devonshire's). 

Head  of  a  Madonna.     (Study  for  "  La  Vierge  aux  Rochers.") 
Portrait  of  a  Florentine  Youth. 

EARL  OF  WARWICK'S  COLLECTION. 
Study  of  a  Head  of  the  Virgin  ;  in  black  chalk. 

MR.  MALCOLM,  OF  POLTALLOCK. 

Head  of  a  Warrior ;  silver  point  on  prepared  ground. 
Study  of  a  Head,  resembling  that  of  St.  John  in  the  Last  Supper. 
Head  of  a  Man  shutting  his  eyes,  as  if  dazzled  by  a  brilliant  light. 
A  sheet  of  studies  of  Five  Caricature  Heads. 


A  LIST  OF  Paintings  and  Drawings  by  Leonardo,  mentioned 

BY  Dr.  Waagen  in  his  "Treasures  of  Art  in 

Great  Britain." 

N  the  British  Museum. — A  Collection  of  Original  Drawings, 
described  on  page  287. 

In   the  Natio7ial  Gallery. — Christ    Disputing  with  the 
Doctors.     (Probably  by  Luini.) 

In  the  Royal  Academy. — Cartoon.     The  Virgin  seated 
in  the  lap  of  St.  Anne. 

The  Last  Supper.     Copy  by  Marco  Oggione. 

In  Lord  AsJiburton's  Collection. — The  Virgin,  Infant  Saviour,  and  St. 
John,  with  attendant  Angels.  This  beautiful  composition  was  formerly 
in  the  apartments  of  the  Escurial,  and  came  to  England  in  the  Collection 
of  General  Sebastione. 

/;/  the  Holford  Collection. — A  Study  of  the  Head  of  the  Virgin  in  "  La 
Vierge  aux  Rochers."  (Small  size,  in  brown,  on  panel.)  In  this  picture 
the  features  have  the  refined  feeling  which  belongs  to  Leonardo  alone. 

At  Gatton  Park  {The  Countess  of  Warwick's). — La  Vierge  au  bas-relief. 
Purchased  by  the  late  Lord  Monson. 

In  Mr.  Danby- Seymours  Collection. — Mona  Lisa,  a  copy. 
La  Belle  Ferronniere,  a  copy.     Q  by  Beltraffio.) 

In  Mr.  W.  A.  Mackinnon's  Collection. — St.  Catherine.  (Ascribed  to 
Leonardo,  but  probably  by  one  of  his  pupils.) 

In  Earl  Browjilow's  Collection. — Mona  Lisa,  Replica  of.  A  very  deli- 
cate and  beautiful  example  on  panel. 

At  Hampton  Court  Palace. — Herodias'  Daughter  with  the  Head  of 
St.  John  the  Baptist. 


292  -  PAINTINGS   AND   DRAWINGS. 

Tlie  Royal  Collection,  Windsor  Castle. — Three  Volumes  of  Drawings, 
the  most  important  of  which  are  given  on  page  287. 

At  Christ  Church  College,  Oxford.  {General  Guises  Collection) — A 
Collection  of  Seven  Drawings,  described  on  page  290. 

At  Basildon  Park  {James  Morrison's,  Esq)— Ylovdi.  From  the  collec- 
tion of  Sir  Thomas  Baring. 

At  Charlton  Park  {Earl  of  Suffolk's). — La  Vierge  aux  Rochers.  (Most 
probably  the  original.) 

At  Stourhead  House  {Hoare  Collection). — The  Holy  Family.  Painted 
on  parchment. 

At  Leigh  Court  {Sir  W.  Miles' s). — Salvator  Mundi. 

At  Thirlestaine  House  {Lord  Nor thwick's). — The  Virgin  and  Child  (the 
Virgin  standing).  Ascribed  to  Domenico  Ghirlandajo,  but  more  like 
Leonardo. 

At  Chatsworth  {Duke  of  Devonshire  s). — Portrait  of  a  Florentine  Youth. 
(Most  probably  a  portrait  by  Beltraffio.) 

At  Wooton  Hall  {Davenport  Bromley  Collection). — The  Virgin  and 
Child,  the  latter  holding  a  violet.  Landscape  with  Lake  of  Como  in 
background.  (Called  Luini,  but  most  probably  Leonardo.)  From  the 
Feschi  Gallery. 

At  the  Fitzwilliam  Museum,  Cambridge. — La  Vierge  au  bas-relief, 
a  copy.      Two  children  playing  on  a  greensward  enamelled  with  flowers. 

At  Glendon  Hall  {Booth  Collection).— A  Lucretia. 

At  Holkham  Hall  {Earl  of  Leicester  s). — MSS.  entitled  "  Libro  originale 
della  natura,  peso  e  moto  delle  acque,  di  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  in  tempo 
di  Lodovico  il  Moro,  nel  condur  che  fece  le  acque  del  naviglio  della 
Martesana  dell'  Adda  a  Milano." 

At  Lord  YarborougJts. — St.  Anne.  Copy,  probably  by  Salaino,  of  the 
picture  in  the  Louvre. 

Ln  Mr.  Barker's  Collection. — Leda  with  the  Swan.  Copy,  probably 
by  one  of  the  scholars  of  Leonardo. 

In  Lord  Kinnaird's  Collection. — La  Columbine.  Formerly  in  the 
Collection  of  the  King  of  Holland. 


List  of   Paintings  and  Drawings  by  Leonardo  da  Vinci, 

WHICH   HAVE  been   EXHIBITED  IN   ENGLAND   DURING 

THE  PAST  Twenty  Years. 


AT   THE   MANCHESTER   EXHIBITION,    1857 
La  Vierge  aux  Rochers, 


The  Property  of 
R,  S.  Holford,  Esq.,  M.P. 


AT  THE   LEEDS   EXHIBITION,    1868. 


Daughter   of    Herodias    Receiving   the 

Head  of  St.  John,  .... 
Female  Portrait,  ..... 
Female  Head,  ..... 
Portrait  of  a  Girl,  ..... 
St.  Catherine  and    Two   Angels    (from 

the  Corsi  Gallery,  Florence), 
Study  of  a  Head,  resembling  that  of  St. 

John  in  the  "  Cenacolo  "  (silver  point, 

and  bistre-wash  on  grey  ground), 
Profile  Bust  of  a  Warrior  (silver  point  on 

prepared  ground),  .... 
Bust  Portrait  of  a  Man  in  a  Cap  (black 

chalk),        ...... 

Study  of  Two  Heads,  A  Mother  and  her 

Child, . 

Studies  of  Two  Heads,  one  of  Dante,     . 
Caricatures,  Pen  Drawing  in  bistre, 
A  Man's  Head  in  red  chalk, 


Col.  Markhain. 

C.  E.  Legge,  Esq. 

Sir  T.  W.  Holbtirne,  Bart. 

Duke  of  Devonshire. 

P.  F.  Howard,  Esq. 


J.  Malcolm,  Esq. 
y.  Malcolm,  Esq. 
University  Galleries,  Oxford. 
Duke  of  Devonshire. 


294 


PAINTINGS   AND   DRAWINGS. 


AT   THE    EXHIBITIONS    OF   WORKS    OF   THE    OLD 
MASTERS,   AT   THE    ROYAL  ACADEMY. 


A  Head  of  Christ  (Crayon),   . 
A  Head  of  St.  Peter  (Crayon), 
Christ  Bearing  his  Cross  (Panel),   . 
La  Vierge  aux  Rochers, 
St.  Ann  (Cartoon),          .         . 
The  Virgin  and  Child,    . 
Portrait  of  a  Young  Man, 
The     Last    Supper    (Copy    by    Marco 
Oggione), 


The  Property  of 

The  Baroness  North. 


Sir  T.  Proctor  Beauchamp,  Bart. 
Earl  of  Suffolk. 
The  Royal  Academy. 
Duke  of  Buccleuch. 
W.  Fuller  Maitland,  Esq. 


T/ie  Royal  Academy. 


PICTURES  BY  LEONARDO  SOLD  BY  AUCTION. 

HE  following  Paintings,  attributed  to  Leonardo  da  Vinci, 
have  been  sold  by  Auction  in  England  and  on  the  Con- 
tinent during  the  present  century.  Compiled  from  Si- 
guier's List. 

1801. 

Mona  Lisa.     Purchased  by  the  Earl  of  Bessborough  for  ^^51  i$s. 

Six  Cartoons  of  Heads  in  the  "  Last  Supper."  Purchased  by  Sir 
William  Hamilton,  £^6  i$s. 

A  Laughing  Boy,  with  a  Toy  in  his  Hand.  Purchased  by  Sir  William 
Hamilton,  ^1,365. 

Six  Cartoons  of  Heads  in  the  "  Last  Supper,"  from  Sir  William 
Hamilton's  sale.     Purchased  by  Mr.  Slade,  ;^22  4s. 

1802. 

Virgin,  Infant  Saviour,  and  St.  John.     Purchaser  not  stated,  £162  los. 

La  Columbine.     (From  the  Orleans  Gallery.)     Purchased   by  John 

Udney,  Esq.,  ;^I05. 

1803. 

Virgin  and  Child.     Purchased  by  Walsh  Porter,  Esq.,  £840. 

1804. 
Virgin  and  Child.     Purchased  by  —  Boxellis,  Esq.,  £iy8  los. 

180^. 
The  Daughter  of  Herodias  receiving  the  Head  of  St.  John.     (From 
the  Barberini  Palace.     This  is  probably  the  picture  now  at  Hampton 
Court.)     Purchaser  not  stated,  ;^  1,008. 

1806. 
The  Virgin,  Infant  Saviour,  St.  John,  and  St.  Elizabeth.     Purchased 
by  the  Marquis  of  Lansdowne,  £  194  5^. 

1816. 
Saint  John.     Purchased  by  Henry  Hope,  Esq.,  ;^I29  3^-. 


296  PAINTINGS   BY  LEONARDO. 

1819. 
The  Virgin  and  Child.     Purchased  by  John  Knight,  Esq.,  ^115   \os. 

1827. 
The  Infant  Christ  and  St.  John  seated  on  two  cushions.     Purchaser 
not  stated,  £\o6  is. 

1829. 
La  Columbine.     (From  the   Orleans    Gallery.)     Purchased  by  John 
Udney,  Esq.,  ^^  105. 

1836. 
Salvator  Mundi.     Purchased  by  John  Parker,  Esq.,  ^100. 

1838. 
The  Infant  Saviour  seated  in  a  Cavern,  and  pointing  to  a  Red  Cross. 
(From  Fonthill  Abbey.)     Purchased  by  W.  Esdaile,  Esq.,  ;^99  15^-. 
A  Female  as  Pomona.     Purchased  by  M.  M.  Zachary,  Esq.,  ;^ 93  9^-. 

1861. 
The  Daughter  of  Herodias.     (From  the  Barberini  Palace.)    Purchased 
by  Charles  Scarisbrick,  Esq.     ;^388  \Qs. 


AT   THE   KING   OF   HOLLAND'S   SALE   IN    1850. 

La  Columbine,  or  the  Mistress  of  Francis  I.  Purchased  by  Bruni  for 
40,000  florins. 

Leda  and  her  Children,  who  are  emerging  from  a  Shell.  (This 
picture  was  formerly  in  the  Galleries  of  Hesse-Cassel  and  Malmaison.) 
Purchased  by  Roos  for  24,500  florins. 

These  two  pictures  are  without  doubt  by  Leonardo. 


AT   M.  THIBAUDEAU'S   SALE   IN   1857. 

Death  Fighting  with  Cavaliers.  Allegorical  subject,  a  drawing  in  pen 
and  ink  upon  white  paper.  Engraved  in  the  "  Gazette  des  Beaux- Arts." 
Purchased  by  M.  Thiers  for  410  francs. 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


;CADEMY  of  Fine  Arts, 
London,  294. 

Academy  of  Fine  Arts, 
Venice,  288. 

Alberti,  103. 
Albertina  Gallery,  Vienna,  286.. 
Alexander  VI.,  Pope,  53. 
Amboise,  83. 

Church  at,  98. 
Ambrosian  Library,  Drawings  in,  283. 
Amontons,  151. 
Amoretti,  14. 
AngeUco,  Fra,  31. 
Angelucci,  Captain,  161. 
Archimedes,  156,  168. 
Arconati,  Luigi  Maria,  154. 
Arragon,  Isabella  of,  22. 
Arundel  MSS.,  209,  106. 
Ashburton  Collection,  291. 
Auction,  Sales  by,  295. 
Aurelius,  Marcus,  Statue  of,  16. 

Bandello,  31. 

Baptistry  of  Florence,  146. 

Barker's,  Mr.,  Collection,  292. 

Bartolomeo,  Fra,  Baccio  della  Porta,  47. 

Basildon  Park,  292. 

Belotti,  39. 

Bellincioni,  15. 


BeltrafHo,  19,  120. 

Benci,  Ginevra,  49,  270. 

Bernouilli,  159. 

Boni,  Zanobi,  Letter  to,  79. 

Booth  Collection,  292. 

"Book  of  Force,  The,"  153. 

"  Book  of  Motion,  The/'  104,  119,  153, 

Boreau,  97,  196. 

Borelli,  148. 

Borgia,  Caesar,  52,  164,  271. 

Botticelli,  47. 

Bouguer,  138. 

Boyle,  159. 

Brescia,  Sack  of,  72. 

Biilfinger,  152. 

Burgi,  Giusto,  165. 

British  Museum,  Drawings  in,  287. 

Brownlow's,  Earl,  Collection,  291. 

Cardan,  Jerome,  136,  165. 
Cardinali,  154. 
Castello  della  Rocca,  22. 
Castello  da  Vinci,  Village  of,  3. 
Castiglione,  25. 
Cesarino,  Cesare,  136. 
Chatsworth,  Drawings  at,  290,  292. 
Charles  VIIL,  2. 

Invasion  of  Italy  by,  27. 
Charlton  Park,  292. 


298 


GENERAL    INDEX, 


Cloux,  Chateau  of,  83. 

"  Codice  Atlantico/'  105,  118,  207. 

"  Codicetto  Trivulziano,"  122,  209. 

Costa,  Signor  Marco  Antonio,  168. 

Coulomb,  151. 

Crivelli,  Lucrezia,  15,  268. 

Da  Cesto  (or  Sesto),  Cesare,  19,  102. 

D'  Adda,  Marquis  Girolamo,  171. 

Danby-Seymour  Collection,  291. 

D'Argenville,  8. 

Davenport  Bromley  Collection,  292. 

Da  Vinci,  Francesco,  60. 

Da  Vinci,  Genealogical  Table  of  Family 

of,  221. 
Da  Vinci,  Leonardo,  Birth  of,  3. 

Letter  to  Sforza,  9,  210. 

Statue  of,  23,  173. 

Visit  to  Milan,  12. 

Founds  Milan  Academy,  17. 

Meeting  with  Charles  VIIL,  28. 

Meeting  with  Marc  Antonio  della 
Torre,  28. 

"The  Last  Supper,"  31. 

Return  to  Florence,  47. 

Service  under  Borgia,  52. 

Visit  to  Rome,  54. 

"  Fight  for  Standard,"  55. 

Departure  to  France,  83. 

Religion  of,  88. 

Death  of,  91,  183,  190. 

Will  of,  94,  212. 

Burial  of,  98. 

Tomb  of,  98,  195. 

Manuscripts  of,  102,  118,  205. 

As  an  Engraver,  175. 

Epitaphs  on,  98,  183. 

Statue  at  Milan,  102. 

Exhibition  of  Works  at  Milan,  102. 

Facsimile  of  Handwriting,  282. 


Sonnet  by,  107. 

Court  Pageants  by,  22,  176. 

Fables  of,  125. 

Chronology  of  Life  of,  216. 
Da  Vinci,  Pierino,  109. 
Da  Vinci,  Ser  Piero  Antonio,  3. 
De  Chaumont,  Marechal,  58. 

Letter  to,  67. 

Death  of,  72. 
D'Este,  Beatrice,  Marriage  of,  22. 

Death  of,  29. 
D'Este,  Duke  Hercule,  26. 
D'Este,  Hippolyte,  60. 
De  Fouquancourt,  Siger,  142. 
De  Foix,  Gaston,  73. 
Delecluze,  M.,  167. 
Della  Porta,  136. 
Della  Torre,  28. 
Della  Valle,  Pbre,  63. 
De  Maricourt,  Pietro  Pelerin,  142. 
De'  Medici,  Giuliano,  74. 
De'  Medici,  Lorenzo,  i,  9,  47. 

Marriage  of,  86. 
De  Pavia,  Lorenzo,  46. 
Desaguliers,  148,  152. 
De  Villanis,  109. 
Di  Credi,  Lorenzo,  6,  47. 
Di  Vinci,  Accattabriga  di  Pierino  del 

Vacca,  3. 
D'Oggione,  Marco,  19. 

Copy  of  "  Last  Supper,"  41. 
Ducos,  Roger,  98. 
Du  Fresne,  Raphael,  103. 

Florence,  Royal  Gallery  of,  285. 

Francia,  47. 

Francis  I.,  38,  70,  78,  264. 

Fitzwilliam  Museum,  Cambridge,  292. 

Fouquet,  Jean,  85. 

Fontainebleau,  Palace  of,  86. 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


299 


Galeazzo,  Duke  Giovanni,  Marriage  of, 

22. 
Galileo,  150,  159. 
Gallerani,  Cecilia,  13. 
Gambagnola,  Bartolomeus,  24. 
Garnerin,  170. 
Gaston  de  Foix,  73. 
Gatton  Park,  291. 
Ghirlandaio,  49. 
Giocondo,  Francesco  del,  52. 
Giotto,  31,  124. 
Glendon  Hall,  292. 
Guicciardini,  i,  27. 
Guido  of  Arezzo,  115. 
Grimaldi,  138. 

Hampton  Court,  291. 
Hero  of  Alexandria,  156. 
Hoare  Collection,  292. 
Holford  Collection,  291. 
Holland,  King  of.  Sale,  296. 
Huyghens,  Christopher,  166. 

Jovius,  Paulus,  23. 
Julius  II.,  Pope,  53. 

Kinnaird's,  Lord,  Collection,  292. 

L'Amontons,  152. 

La  Tremouille,  45. 

Lavoisier,  172. 

Leeds  Exhibition,  293. 

Leigh  Court,  292. 

Leo  X.,  74,  81. 

Leonardi  (the  Fleming),  187. 

Leonardo  {see  Da  Vinci). 

Libri,  138. 

Lippi,  Filippino,  47. 

Lomazzo,  19,  32. 

Lombardini,  159. 


Lombardy,  Irrigation  of,  21. 
Louis  XII.,  45. 

Death  of,  77. 
Louvre,  The,  Drawings  in,  284. 
Luini,  Bernardino,  19. 

Mackinnon  Collection,  292. 

Magnus,  Albertus,  20,  142. 

Manzi,  144. 

Malcolm,  Mr.,  of  Poltallock.  Collection, 

290. 
Manchester  Exhibition,  293. 
Mantegna,  19. 
Mantua,  Duchess  of,  46. 
Mangnano,  Battle  of,  78. 
Manuscripts,  The  French,  105. 

The  Arundel,  106,  119. 

The  Windsor,  131. 

The  Ambrosian,  123. 

The  Holkham,  106. 

The  Lost,  118. 
Martesana  Canal,  The,  58,  64,  159. 
Martini,  Francesco  di  Giorgio,  161. 
Masaccio,  125. 
Maurolico,  Francesco,  137. 
Maximilian,  The  Emperor,  23,  174. 
Melzi,  Francesco,  43,  ^-^^  102. 

Letters  of,  108,  184. 
Michael  Angelo,  2,  47,  75. 

Statue  of  David,  53. 

Cartoon  of  Pisa,  54. 
Michelet,  86. 

Migliarotto,  Antonio,  143. 
Milan,  Capture  of,  45. 

Cathedral,  Cupola  of,  20. 

Entry  of  Louis  XIL,  58. 

Evacuation  of,  73. 

Entry  of  Francis  L,  81. 
National  Gallery,  London,  291. 
Northwick's,  Lord,  Collection,  292. 


300 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


Omedeo,  21. 

Orsino,  5. 

Oxford,  Drawings  at,  290. 

Paciolo,  Fra  Luca,  20,  35,  106,  132. 

Padua,  School  of,  19. 

Pandolfini,  Francesco,  59. 

Papuntio,  Don,  136. 

Pascal,  Blaise,  158. 

"  Percussion,  Treatise  on,"  153. 

Perugino,  Pietro,  5,  47. 

Piagnoni,  The,  46. 

Platino  Piatto,  20. 

Porta,  Baccio  della,  47. 

Promis,  Signor  Carlo,  t6i. 

Pythagoras,  143. 

RafFaelle,  2,  47. 

Ravenna,  Battle  of,  73. 

Roux,  Maitre  (II  Rosso),  85. 

Rubens,  55. 

Rustici,  Giovan  Francesco,  174. 

Salai  or  Salaino,  43,  83,  no,  186. 

San  Giovanni,  Church  of,  21. 

San  Lorenzo,  Church  of,  75. 

Sanseverino,  160,  176. 

Sansovini,  76. 

Santa  Maria  delle  Grazie,  Convent  of,  30. 

Santi,  Giovanni,  5. 

Sarto,  Andrea  del,  187. 

Savonarola,  46,  121. 

Sforza,  Francesco,  13. 

Statue  of,  15,  23,  173. 
Sforza,  Duke  Galeazzo  Maria,  13. 
Sforza,  Gian  Galeazzo,  13. 
Sforza,  Gian  Galeazzo,  Marriage  of,  22* 

Death  of,  29. 


Sforza,  Lodovico,  9,  13. 

Marriage  of,  22. 

Meeting  with  Charles  XII.,  28. 

Usurpation  of,  29. 

Flight  and  Death,  45. 
Signorelli,  Luca,  47. 
Soderini,  Pier,  177. 
Soderini,  Pietro,  48,  54. 
Solario,  Andrea,  19. 
Stevinus,  159. 

Thibaudeau's,  M.,  Sale,  296. 

Tintoretto,  85. 

Titian,  2,  85. 

Tomb  of  Leonardo,  search  for,  99. 

Torricelli,  159. 

"Trattato  della  Pittura,"  103. 

Trivulzio,  Gian  Jacopo,  66. 

Monument  to,  161. 
Turini,  Messer  Baldassare,  76. 

Valla,  Giovanni,  26. 
Vasari,  2,  38,  46. 
Venturi,  135,  161. 
Veranzio,  169. 
Verrocchio,  Andrea,  4. 
Vespucci,  Amerigo,  131. 
Villanis,  De,  83,  109. 
Vitruvius,  20. 

Windsor  Collection,  127,  209,  287. 
Warwick's,  Earl  of.  Collection,  290. 
Warwick's,  Countess  of,  291. 

Yarborough's,  Lord,  Collection,  292. 

Zenale,  Bernardo,  32. 


INDEX    OF    PAINTINGS. 


Sacred  Subjects. 

HE   Baptism    of  Christ, 
227. 
The   Madonna  of  Va- 

prio,  63,  228. 
The  Virgin  among  the 
Rocks,  (La  Vierge  aux  Rochers),  69, 
228. 
The  Virgin  Seated  on  the  Knees  of  St. 

Anne,  no,  230. 
The   Holy  Family  of  the  Hermitage, 

76,  232. 
The  Infant  Jesus,  233. 
Christ    Disputing    with    the    Doctors, 

71,  233. 
Christ  Bearing  his  Cross,  235. 
Heads  of  Christ,  235. 
The  Madonna  of  Lucca,  236. 
The  Virgin  of  Sant'  Onofrio,  236. 
The  Cartoon  of  St.  Anne,  48,  236. 
The  Virgin  of  Munich,  237. 
The  Virgin  "au  Bas-relief,"  71,  238. 
The  Holy  Family  of  Madrid,  239. 
The  Virgin  of  the  Esterhazy  Gallery, 

239- 
The  Virgin  with  the  Donor,  54,  240. 
The  Virgin  (Lord  Ashburton's),  240. 


The  Virgin  of  the  Albani  Palace,  240. 
The  Virgin  of  Alton  Towers,  241. 
The  Virgin  of  the  Pourtales  Gallery,  241. 
The  Virgin  of  Andrea  Solario,  241. 
The  Virgin  of  the  Brera  Gallery,  242. 
The  Holy  Family  of  Brescia,  242. 
The  Madonna  of  Milan,  242. 
The  Virgin  with  the  Scales,  243. 
The  Holy  Family  (of  the  Louvre),  244. 
Mater  Dolorosa,  244. 
The  Assumption  of  the  Virgin,  244. 
The  Virgin  surrounded  by  Saints,  245. 
The  Virgin  of  Pommersfeld,  245. 
The  Virgin  and  Infant  Jesus,  246. 


Sacred  Historical  Subjects. 

The  Last  Supper,  31,  39,  41,  247. 

St.  John  the  Baptist,  70,  248. 

The  Adoration  of  the  Magi,  8,  249. 

A  Bust  of  St.  John,  249. 

St.  Jerome  Penitent,  250. 

Head  of  St.  John  (at  Milan),  250. 

Herodias,  70,  250. 

St.  Catherine,  252. 

Magdalenes,  253. 

St.  Sebastian,  253. 


302 


INDEX    OF   PAINTINGS. 


Classical  Subjects. 

Bacchus,  254. 

Head  of  Medusa,  7,  255. 

Vanity  and  Modesty,  71,  256. 

Leda,  71,  256. 

Flora  (La  Columbine),  71,  258. 

Historical  Subjects. 

Cartoon  of  the  Battle  of  Anghiari  (Battle 
of  the  Standard),  55,^260. 

Portraits. 

Leonardo,  at  Florence,  262. 

Windsor,  262. 

Venice,  263. 

Vienna,  263. 

Milan,  263. 

Vaprio,  264. 
Francis  I.  (as  St.  John  the  Baptist),  264. 
Mona  Lisa  (La  Gioconda),  49,  264. 
La  Monaca,  71,  266. 
Lodovico  Sforza  and  Family,  30,  26(C 
Gian  Galeazzo  Sforza,  267. 
Isabella  of  Arragon,  267. 
Duke  Maximilian  Sforza,  268. 
Portrait  of  a  Woman,  268. 
Lucrezia  Crivelli   ("La   Belle  Ferron- 

niere  "),  15,  268. 
Portrait  of  a  Young  Man,  269. 
Ginevra  Benci,  49,  270. 


Caesar  Borgia,  271. 
Portrait  of  an  Old  Man,  271. 
Charles  VIIL,  271. 
Portrait  of  a  Man,  272. 
Portrait  of  a  Woman,  272. 
Marc  Antonio  della  Torre,  273. 
Portrait  of  a  Man  in  Red,  273. 
Head  of  a  Woman,  273. 
Jeanne  d' Arragon,  274. 
Chancellor  Moroni,  274. 
Portrait  of  a  Woman,  275. 
A  Laughing  Boy,  275. 

Missing  Pictures. 

A  Roundel  {Rotella  del Fico),  7,  276. 

Adam  and  Eve,  7,  276. 

The  Nativity,  276. 

An  Angel,  277. 

Two  Children  playing  with  a  Lamb,  277. 

Conception  of  the  Virgin,  277. 

Virgin  Suckling  the  Infant  Jesus,  278. 

Neptune,  7,  278. 

Pomona,  279. 

Virgin  of  Parma,  279. 

Portrait  of  Cecilia  Gallerani,  13,  279. 

Madonna  of  the  Rose,  280. 

Ten  Figures  of  Aged  I^eople,  280. 

Bust  of  a  Saint,  280. 

Madonna  della  Caraffa,  8,  281. 

The  Virgin  and  Child,  281. 

Madonnas  at  Florence,  281. 


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